The cost of Trump’s war with Iran keeps rising | Editorial

Donald Trump spent the weekend threatening to commit war crimes in Iran, only to back away Monday morning — just in time for financial markets to rebound.

Trump postponed his ultimatum to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants for another five days, claiming “good” talks to end the conflict. (It is unclear who the president is talking to since Iran denied any exchange.)

Obviously, the sooner Trump ends his unnecessary and unfocused war, the better. Apparently, only he has a vague idea of why the war started or when it will end. The rest of the world must endure his destruction and try to pick up the pieces.

But this much is clear: Trump’s threat to bomb Iran’s civilian electricity infrastructure underscores just how reckless and depraved he has become.

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Any deliberate attacks on civilian targets would likely violate international humanitarian law and risk a broader and more protracted war that has already ensnared more than a dozen countries. Destroying Iran’s power grid risks a human catastrophe, as it would impact hospitals and the country’s food and water supply.

It would also further isolate the United States and undermine whatever is left of Washington’s moral authority — no matter how much religious rhetoric is spewed by Pete Hegseth, the former weekend Fox News host turned defense secretary.

In many ways, Trump’s unprovoked invasion of Iran echoes Vladimir Putin’s ruthless attack on Ukraine. Who is the axis of evil now?

The deadly U.S. bombing of a school in Iran, along with lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, and the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, add to the apparent violations of international treaties. A U.S. oil blockade of Cuba is also contributing to humanitarian struggles, as the island was left without power Saturday for a third time this month.

Trump’s sledgehammer diplomacy has left the U.S. increasingly isolated, while undermining its global leadership and making for a more dangerous and divided world.

Trump has devoted much of his time on the political stage to trashing NATO, dismissing allies, and threatening to invade Greenland and Canada.

After burning bridges Republican and Democratic presidents built over many decades, Trump then begged several countries to help clean up the mess he created in Iran.

Meanwhile, at least 13 U.S. soldiers have died, and more than 200 have been injured. An estimated 1,500 have been killed in Iran, and at least 18 in Israel.

Gas prices have jumped 30% in the U.S. in just two weeks and are near $4 a gallon in the Philadelphia region, adding to the affordability crisis exacerbated by Trump’s tariffs, healthcare cuts, and other senseless policies.

Trump said higher gas prices are a “small price to pay” for the war.

That’s on top of the roughly $1 billion a day that bombing Iran is costing taxpayers. The Pentagon requested another $200 billion to fund the war, which comes to more than $1,400 for each American household.

That is more than the U.S. has spent to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia over the past four years.

One expert said the war — or “excursion” as Trump calls it — could cost several trillion dollars.

All to accomplish what exactly?

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The Iranian regime remains in power, even after several leaders have been killed. Iran still possesses enriched uranium even after Trump claimed to “obliterate” the nuclear program during a bombing raid last year.

In the midst of the war, Trump still found time to play golf over the weekend.

That was after he embarrassed the country by invoking the attack on Pearl Harbor in front of the Japanese prime minister to defend not informing allies before bombing Iran.

To add to the routine vileness, Trump celebrated the death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller, a Republican and decorated Marine who fought in Vietnam and devoted his life to public service.

“Good, I’m glad he’s dead,” Trump wrote on social media minutes after Mueller’s death was announced Saturday.

Trump still holds a grudge over Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s effort to meddle in the 2016 election.

Despite the president’s efforts to rewrite history, let’s be clear for the record: A Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee report found that Russia interfered in the election on Trump’s behalf.

Trump is still fighting that war and the one he started in Iran, showing the world what it means to be an ugly American.