Iran war proves that Donald Trump lied about its nuclear program

Last June, after his self-lauded Operation Midnight Hammer, US President Donald Trump declared that American bunker bombs had “eliminated Iran’s nuclear program” and that the country’s nuclear facilities and program were “obliterated” leading to “peace” in the Middle East (“US sinks Iranian warship, dozens killed”, smh.com.au, March 5). “It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability …!,” he crowed. If Iran had its nuclear facilities destroyed in 2025 (as we were guaranteed at the time) what possible excuse is there for the belligerent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, bent on attacking Iran for decades, and his best buddy Trump to yet again attack a sovereign nation with the justification that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, the same ones Netanyahu and Trump told us they had destroyed just nine months ago? Judy Hungerford, Kew (Vic)

The Iranian warship torpedoed and sunk overnight was the first sinking of this nature by the US since World War II. The last sinking by the Royal Navy was of the Argentinian Cruiser General Belgrano by HMS Conqueror during the Falklands War in 1982. John Jones, Armidale

The wars in Ukraine and Iran have shown how vulnerable capital ships are to attack, and how effective drones are in aggressive defence. Ukraine has invested in marine drones and has managed to effectively knobble the Russian Black Sea fleet and the tankers it is protecting. Iran has lost expensive warships, but its flying drones are working against the oil tankers. Had Iran invested in undersea drones, passive mines and other underwater weapons, they would now be winning this war. Australia should take note that in the next war, submarines will not protect us. But drones based along our sea lanes, or passively waiting on the sea bed to be activated in times of attack, might. And you can get a lot of them for $360 billion. So many that an aggressor would be careful sending ships, and planes, to wage war against us.
David Neilson, Uralla

The adage “Those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it” has never been more applicable in Iran. Neither a monarchy under the son of the late shah nor a clergy chosen from the ranks of the Islamic Republic will ensure peace for the Iranian people as years of repression, censorship and corruption have shown. Trump’s invasion and his willingness to leave it to the incumbents to choose a replacement will achieve nothing. History has shown it is possible in countries such as Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and South Africa. In Korea, the transition was made possible with the strength of the people such as students activists, unions and the emerging middle class. In Indonesia, president Suharto was forced to resign due to massive student riots and protests. Spain went from an authoritarian regime to a stable democracy. The difficulty is separating religion from governance. Iran’s future lies not with the deposed monarchy nor the Islamic Republic but in the hands of the people at the ballot box. Elizabeth Maher, Gordon

Who came up with the code name ″⁣Epic Fury″⁣ for the Iran war? Is it a subtle nod to Trump’s personality? I prefer ″⁣War McWarface″⁣ myself. Jeff White, Killara

Equal treatment needed

Six crisis consular teams are being deployed to assist Australians stranded in the Middle East (“Wong sends crisis squads for stranded Australians”, March 5) – a swift and welcome response. One trusts this vigilance applies equally to all Australian citizens abroad, including the so-called ISIS brides and their children. Citizenship is not conditional on good optics. If we defend it, we defend it consistently – or not at all. Vivien Clark-Ferraino, Duckmaloi

Rationing on the horizon?

Yes, I can recall Angus Taylor organising special concessions for us in case of emergencies (Letters, March 5). It seemed a risky road to take. Now I read that US stocks of petroleum are at the lowest in 40 years. With that grim news and Donald Trump in charge, I fear our special concessions have gone with the wind. I doubt AUKUS will be of any use. So now we rely on our low supplies to run our myriad vehicles. Fuel rationing? Probably even too late for that. Kris Mckeon, Goonellabah

Pacific power play

It alarmed me to read the comments that international rules-based order is dead (Letters, March 5). Rather than fix a problem, like the UN, some people seem comfortable allowing the stronger countries to kidnap and bomb their way to results. Be careful what you wish for, Australia. We have powers in our neighbourhood who may be tuning into this new method of conflict resolution. Mark Paskal, Austinmer

Seize the mandate

Niki Savva’s take on the “clear air” Farrer byelection is a prescient warning (“One Nation win in Farrer is no joke”, March 5). The Liberals and Nationals are a laughing stock, Labor is not loved in Farrer, a local independent candidate almost won the seat in the recent election. Then there is the bewildering rise of One Nation in the polls, riding the protest vote tsunami of disillusioned coalition voters. People aren’t stupid, but they can do stupid things when voting. The long-term consequences of electing a One Nation candidate would be damaging to social cohesion and inviting more hate into everyone’s life. Voters are usually better off voting for a local with ties and the conviction to improve their lives. Savva’s savvy answer to the conundrum voters may face is simple, Labor shouldn’t muddy the waters in Farrer by fielding a candidate.
However, it is the perfect time for Labor to seize the narrative and become the reformist government it has so tantalisingly promised to become. Labor’s massive mandate will evaporate if it is not used. Albo, you can’t please everyone, but doing the right thing and telling the truth will win over the majority and most of the rest will be grudgingly respectful. Geoff Nilon, Mascot

Unfortunately, as Niki Savva says, the Libs have brought annihilation on themselves. Losing Farrer will be another nail in the coffin. The Coalition finding “a figure of substance” to combat One Nation or the independent is a forlorn hope. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

Too much cancel culture

On time running has improved for Sydney Trains (“Sydney Trains uses laser focus to
prevent meltdown”, March 5), but there can be a cost in service reductions, which make commuters late anyway. Late running trains may need to skip stops to prevent escalating delays, but staff can be too trigger-happy at times. A train from Berowra to the city in yesterday’s peak left four minutes late and seven stops were cancelled.
By the time the train reached Chatswood it was running on time (which should have been predictable) but still skipped the next four stops. This sort of overkill in the interests of on-time running needs to be contained. Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills

Salmon off the menu

The government may stifle reports to keep job numbers up in Tasmania’s salmon farms (“Revealed: How salmon politics left ancient species facing extinction”, March 5), but until conditions change for the better, many of us will continue to avoid buying Tasmanian salmon and instead buy the Atlantic variety. Also avoided are the salmon dishes at eateries, where the fare may originate in Tasmania. Donald Hawes, Peel

Take a stand against toxic males

I have never tuned in (“Kyle’s a misogynist and bully, but Jackie O enabled him”, March 5) but I’ve been repulsed by Kyle Sandilands’ reported comments, appalled that politicians have enabled him and I’ve supported the Mad F—ing Witches campaign. Now people are turning on him as his popularity tanks. This will happen to another misogynist, Donald Trump, when his enablers see he is failing. My question is, in a world where toxic masculinity floods social media, normalising violent speech against women and minorities, why don’t more politicians and societal leaders take a principled stand against such malevolence earlier on and set an example? Instead, many fawn and stay silent. Please consider how this impacts women and decent men. Alison Stewart, Riverview

That these two are finally off air is the best news I’ve heard for a long time. Why they were even allowed to pollute the airwaves with their smutty drivel in the first place is beyond me. My only fear now is that this is all just some dreadful publicity stunt. Ryszard Linkiewicz, Woolooware

If ever there was an example of “you reap what you sow”, it’s the break-up of Kyle and Jackie O. Anyone with half a brain could see that Kyle was a bullying, misogynistic creep. Jackie O enabled his nastiness. That ultimately she should be on its receiving end is inevitable. Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point

The Jackie O/ Kyle Sandilands debacle is indicative of the status of our world at large and the many unscrupulously immoral incumbent oligarchs who seem to be in charge. As Jacqueline Maley puts it, it’s “only ever about the money and the power”. Here’s to more increasingly necessary downfalls. Judy Finch, Taree

Thank goodness Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O will be off air. Apart from earning obscene amounts of money for their, at times, obscenity plus earning their radio station a fortune, what was their point in being on air? Dorothy Gliksman,
Cedar Brush Creek

Despite the predictions of radio’s demise, the break-up of Kyle and Jackie O has become front-page news, not least because of the money involved. The influencers of mainstream media are once again reflecting our society’s inability to conduct a respectful conversation. I wonder who will be more relieved at this respite, ARN shareholders or listeners. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

Jackie, you should know that if you lie down with a dog … Robert Niven, Aranda (ACT)

Building a community

There’s so much discussion about property and tax (Letters, March 5). The Rent a Room Scheme in the UK lets you earn up to a threshold of £7500 (roughly $15,000) a year tax-free from letting out furnished accommodation in your home. This scheme encourages better usage of current housing stock and enables home owners struggling to pay their mortgage to have a means of avoiding default. The UK also has “letting relief,” which means that in almost all situations where you let out a room in your main residence you would pay no capital gains when that property is eventually sold (very different to its tax treatment in Australia). I would love to see our federal government introducing similar laws in Australia. Jill Robinson, Randwick

When, if ever, are we going to face up to Australia’s widening inequality? The housing proposal for Glebe Island is an ideal opportunity to redress this. Property development continues to be perceived as either a public service or, at worst, benign. It is neither, it is a dark predator looming over the sleepless nights of many. People are forced to play along and be grateful if they get a toehold in the market somewhere. The government should build homes on Glebe Island. Homes for people on fixed incomes and for people on low incomes and for essential service personnel. It should be strictly build-to-rent and guaranteed to stay that way forever. Where is the money to come from? A shift in fiscal priorities and changes in taxation. Garry Feeney, Kingsgrove

In 2009, when I was holidaying in Vancouver, the city mayor proudly announced the development of public land for housing to be one third luxury accommodation, one third affordable housing for workers and one third public housing. This was to ensure all citizens could afford to live close to the city hub, not only the rich, and to promote social cohesion. Chris Minns’ 10 per cent affordable housing on Glebe Island development falls way short. Ray Morgan, Maroubra

Tech revolution bypass

At 90, although still an active hospital chaplain, I find unnecessarily complex technology is increasingly making life more difficult for the aged. Coles, for example, in the news for other reasons, does not allow online ordering unless one has a mobile phone, and there are many other companies which assume that we all use one.
(I use a computer, but none of my three brothers has used one – or a mobile.)
The ability to use some technology may decline with age or with dementia as I know well – normally visiting every week the closed and open psycho-geriatric wards of a major hospital. The now often artificial respondents to enquiries to many agencies often assume they can send “texts” – which I never see. The Transport NSW Trip Planner was easy to negotiate online; it is much harder to get on with its successor. I should like to see the heating instructions on many supermarket “meals” without a strong magnifying glass. It is time people, with or without their devices and desires, took notice of such things. John Bunyan, Campbelltown

First among equals

In all these years, apart from a handful of people whom I had previously met, I have not crossed paths with any of the current cohort of letters correspondents. But that changed on Wednesday evening when I was in the same room as none other than Meredith Williams of Baulkham Hills. We shared our thoughts on the current content of the letters page and I left contemplating which one of us would be published first. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook

• To submit a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.
• The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform. Sign up here.