Editorial: President Trump must outline his plan following Iran strikes

The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, The Virginian-Pilot on Mar 3, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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There should be no mourning the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other members of top Iran leadership killed by joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes early Saturday morning.

Architect of a brutally oppressive domestic regime that imprisoned, tortured and executed an untold number of Iranians during his 27 years in power, Khamenei’s determination to spread the flame of the Islamic Revolution fueled violence that killed scores worldwide, including thousands of Americans.

While his death removes the head of a hostile nation, it is tempered by the deeply troubling way in which it was carried out by President Donald Trump and his partners in the Israeli government. This isn’t a matter of opposing something simply because it was this president who did it, but rather the certain knowledge that aggressive military action without deep contemplation of the consequences and a detailed plan for what follows not only risks making a volatile situation worse — it usually guarantees it.

In a video posted to his personal social media account at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Trump announced “major combat operations” against Iran that began with a series of strikes against that country’s leadership and sites linked to its nuclear program. U.S. forces conducted the action in concert with Israel.

Trump recounted the history of Iranian attacks on American forces and assets since the Islamic Revolution: the taking of hostages at the U.S. embassy in 1979, the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, the 2000 USS Cole bombing, the Iraqi insurgency from 2003 to 2011, and ongoing attacks against U.S. bases and forces by Iranian proxy militias in the Red Sea and elsewhere.

The president only briefly spoke to the risks of this action, saying, “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties.”

That statement will chill the blood of many here in Hampton Roads. For our region, those carrying out this mission aren’t nameless, faceless or nebulous “U.S. forces.” They are our family, friends and neighbors who bravely serve this nation and whose lives are now at risk — and will be for as long as this continues.

U.S. officials confirmed at least four service members were killed, 18 were critically or seriously wounded, and at least a dozen others injured. Iran responded to the U.S.-Israeli strikes by launching drones and other weapons at U.S. bases and civilian targets throughout the Middle East.

The most pressing question now is what comes next.

Trump has yet to address the nation or even outline the case for military action, spending only a few minutes speaking about Iran during his State of the Union address last week. His rationale for the attack shifted throughout the weekend, claiming that the Iranian nuclear program — which Trump said was “totally obliterated” only eight months ago — posed an imminent threat, though the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said otherwise.

The administration should be swift to provide answers, both to Congress and the public, about the legality and purpose of what Trump describes as a war. This is a military campaign which the American people overwhelmingly do not support and that has already cost service members’ lives.

The danger of a nuclear-capable Iran is beyond dispute and preventing it has been a foreign policy priority of Republican and Democratic administrations for decades. But the notion that an air campaign can neutralize that threat or facilitate regime change is a pipe dream. Trump admitted Sunday that those the U.S. identified as favorable successors to lead Iran were also killed in the weekend’s attacks.

Any decision to risk the lives of American service members is the most grave and consequential choice a president can make, and should only be taken as an option of last resort and with a clear, detailed plan for what follows.

The Trump administration’s explanation thus far has been vague and inadequate. Our troops and the American public deserve better at this pivotal and dangerous moment.

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