Don’t Fly Too Close to the Son

It would be amazing for Israel, the region, the world, and especially the Iranian people if Iran’s regime were ultimately replaced by a more decent and democratic system. The question of whether this war of choice will achieve that outcome rests largely on the decisions being made by the administration that chose it. That’s worrisome. For now, Khamenei has been replaced by Khamenei. Time: Mojtaba Khamenei Has Wielded Power Behind the Scenes For Years. (Between the bombing from above and the contempt on the ground, Mojtaba Khamenei just took on the most dangerous job in the world.)

+ “Trump, with his usual inconsistency, has called for Iranians to rise up against the ruthless theocracy—last week, he demanded its ‘unconditional surrender’—but also said that he’s prepared to deal with a new religious leader.” Robin Wright in The New Yorker: Where Is the Iran War Headed? And will the answer to that question have more to do with what helps the Iranian people or what helps oil prices, which are surging.

+ Oil isn’t the only fluid we need to worry about. Vital Desalination Plants in Iran and Bahrain Are Attacked.

+ Even someone who lies all day every day can still occasionally sicken us with a lie. And so it was over the weekend when President Trump indicated that Iran bombed the school for girls that was hit in Tehran. Video appears to show U.S. cruise missile striking Iranian school compound.

+ Trump invented to story about the school bombing hours after he attended a dignified transfer ceremony wearing a baseball cap. Fox News apologizes for showing old video of a hatless Donald Trump at a dignified transfer ceremony.

+ WSJ (Gift Article): Lindsey Graham’s Quest to Sell Trump on Striking Iran.

+ “Stocks fell on fears of the effects of the Iran war on energy prices. The toll of the escalated fighting rose sharply in Lebanon, where more than 600,000 people have been displaced.” Here’s the latest from the NYT.