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#  The Lone Ranger and Tonto in Iran

March 09 2026

Written by Paul Hatfield.

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VIEWPOINT - I am not shedding any tears for Ali Khamenei and his subordinates. They led as vile a regime as North Korea’s.

A war with Iran was inevitable. The nation was determined to eventually develop nuclear weapons. It was just a matter of time. Iran already had the technology to deliver tactical nukes.

But here is where Trump and Netanyahu went wrong. To bring down the degenerate government and undermine their supporters requires a broad coalition.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto approach will not succeed either in the short- or long-term, but that is where we are.

You see, Trump has poisoned our relationships with the EU, NATO and other potential partners. Plus, it is probably too late to aggregate both the military and economic resources to strangle the entrenched power structure without implementing major policy changes at the White House. We can still eventually prevent mass attacks by Iran, but smaller and frequent ones will continue, making daily life in the region perilous, to say nothing of the abuse brave anti-government Iranians will continue to endure.

It is Ironic that the US approached Ukraine for assistance in combatting Iranian drones. Trump deserted Ukraine and cozied up to Putin; now he needs them to plug a significant defensive gap: a gap created by a flawed strategy. Fortunately for Trump, Iran is a supporter of Putin and Russia’s criminal violence against Ukraine. Ukraine is more than happy to repay them for their deadly drone attacks, particularly directed at civilian targets.

It appears the Kurds may join the US in the war – the same country that deserted them in Syria – so can they trust Trump? Syrian Kurds are cautioning their Iranian brothers about [aligning with the US](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrias-kurds-caution-irans-kurds-against-aligning-with-us-against-tehran-2026-03-08/).

To build a coalition that will reduce the barbaric behavior of the mullahs will require months of negotiations with our former partners, along with behavioral modification by Trump and his team of sycophants. Secondary sanctions against nations who trade with Iran or offer any form of support will be necessary. We can’t pull that off on our own,

It will not be enough to reduce Iran’s weapons infrastructure to rubble. There will still be millions of armed extremists who will murder the innocents of Iran and prevent aid from reaching them.

The Kemosabe and his loyal sidekick are incapable of bringing an end to this conflict. They need the help of a full-blown posse. Even then, it’s a long trail.

Trump needs to stop lying and all of his “Hi Ho, Silver” bombast.

***(Paul Hatfield** is a longtime community advocate and civic leader. He currently serves as a board member and past president of the Valley Village Residents Association and is a former Treasurer and board member of the Neighborhood Council Valley Village. A licensed CPA and experienced accounting consultant, Paul brings financial expertise to his community service. He regularly writes for CityWatch, focusing on city governance, fiscal accountability, and transparency in Los Angeles public affairs.)*

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