Daily Herald editorial

Last week, when Iran cranked up its rhetorical — and actual — stance against countries that it sees as enemies, it provoked a new flurry of suggestions that the best way to deal with the semi-rogue nation would be via a pre-emptive military strike. We hope that world leaders, primarily in this case Israel and the United States, can find a less dangerous path.

Iran, for all its distance from our country, has nevertheless become a player on the American stage. Its’ willingness to cut off oil supplies to nations that have attracted its ire has a direct effect here because such bans inevitably lead to higher gas prices. And, of course, because Iran is a threat to our ally Israel, we are at risk of being drawn into a military conflict designed to reduce Iran’s fledgling nuclear capabilities.

The issue of oil prices is best handled first by developing internal resources and, over time, by weaning our country onto other types of energy. Neither is easy, but both are essential.

As to the military option, the United States should have learned its lesson from Iraq and Afghanistan, where we were drawn into lengthy, bloody conflicts for reasons that remain unclear to most Americans. We desperately need to avoid repeating the same mistake in Iran — particularly the eagerness with which we sent Americans into harm’s way.

As irritating as Iran has been, and can be, the best course for the United States is going to be to eliminate any dependence on foreign oil and avoid any new military expeditions.