War Without Limits?

Does the U.S.-Israel assault on Iran fill the criteria of Christian just war theory? A number of observers have asked the question, including R. R. Reno, and given inconclusive answers. Reno is right: Just war reasoning isn’t a simple checklist that allows us to bypass the uncertainty inherent in complex moral judgments. Still, in this case I believe the answer is a decided “No.” A just war must have clear and achievable objectives, but the Trump administration’s messaging, if not its moral reasoning, has been muddled. Do we have reasonable expectation of success? It’s difficult to tell what’s real and what’s not, but it seems the U.S. is in danger of depleting our munitions before we gain a decisive victory. We seem to have underestimated Iran’s military capability and determination, especially after Khamenei’s death, while overestimating the Iranian opposition’s appetite for a coup. Have we stumbled into the position of the king in Jesus’s parable, who starts a war without first counting the cost (Luke 14:31–33)?