July 18, 2026—I take this opportunity to speak out against the US bombing of Iran, and against the Iranian bombing of US interests across the Middle East. I would support President Trump’s previous strategy of applying only economic pressure on Tehran, by applying a US blockade of Iranian ports. This would be in effect to try to pressure Iran to allow the Strait of Hormuz to re-open to all ship traffic, with the free flow of shipping. I would be against any bombardment of their country, however, toward this end. This more limited strategy, that I would support, and which was, previously, the US strategy, I think would make more sense than exchanging bombs, missile fire, and drone attacks back and forth.
Two US servicemembers were just killed in Jordan in an Iranian strike on a US military base there. I feel the need to express sympathy for the US servicemembers’ families. A third US servicemember is missing in action after Iranian strikes on the same US base. I hope he or she is found alive.
I feel the need to denounce the previous “memorandum of understanding,” or MOU, as a “memorandum of misunderstanding and hatred.” I do not think Trump should have cancelled the ceasefire, with the sole exception of a US naval blockade of Iranian ports until such time as Iran allowed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, once again.
I think that neither side was committed to the MOU, and both sides violated the terms of the deal. Now, with both sides escalating the conflict, negotiations to find an off-ramp to the war seem far off and distant. I would recommend negotiations to resume, even if commercial shipping was halted on both sides of the conflict. The bombing should cease, and negotiations should resume.
Stop the war in Iran, and we must prevent another endless Mideast war. We must act to prevent innocent civilians in Iran being killed, and we must speak out in favor of protecting the lives of US servicemembers deployed in harm’s way across the Middle East.
—Nicholas Patti
Wake Forest, NC
USA
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