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New reporting by WaPo headlined, “Iran has hit far more U.S. military assets than reported, satellite images show,” reveals yet more Trump administration efforts to lie about just how disastrous their Iran misadventure has been. The Post conducted an independent analysis of publicly available satellite imagery and found it contained evidence that Iran has “damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East since the war began.” “The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported.” Anyone surprised at these revelations? No. Because they are so consistent with other administration efforts to mislead about the war. They failed to provide a coherent or even plausible rationale for launching attacks on Iran. The explanations provided were found to be based on misrepresentations or gross inconsistencies. The biggest whopper that the Iranian nuclear program, which the president had said was “obliterated” last year, plus imminent Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons (also untrue) was offered as a primary justification for US attacks. Regime change was and then was not offered as a reason for the war. It was revealed and then denied that Israel was one of the primary advocates for going to war. The war would be short and then it would be weeks and then it would be months and then it was not a war at all. The president did not go to Congress to make the case for war. And when his aides ultimately did end up testifying about the war, they also dissembled, misrepresented and distorted facts more often than not. DNI Director Gabbard asserted that Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been eradicated. But leaks from her own intelligence community said that is not the case and that Iran is no further from having nuclear weapons than it was last year. While the administration crowed (lied) about eliminating Iran’s nuclear capability, it also assured us that it had essentially destroyed Iran’s missile and drone production capacity. But again, leaks from within the intelligence community said not so fast. Iran reportedly has roughly 40-50% of its drone fleet and perhaps 60% of its missile launchers. It is widely estimated that the administration’s assertion that the war to date has cost “only” $25B is not just wrong but off by a factor of at least two and perhaps more than that. Other reporting suggests that the administration has also under-reported the number and nature of US casualties so far. Claims of sweeping victory by Trump and Hegseth have been disproved. And none of the administration’s so-called “strategic objectives” for launching the war have been achieved. And the lies keep coming. On Tuesday Hegseth asserted that Iran was the aggressor in this war. Not true of course. In fact at this point Iran seems to be running the show that Trump started. It appears that the only way we’re discovering any truth about the war in Iran is through people in government who are disturbed by what they see and are risking their careers to talk to the press. Some of you are old enough to remember the Vietnam war. And to remember a similar pattern of lying and cover-ups revealed by the Pentagon Papers. The GOP Congress would be wise to start their own investigations into how this war has been, and is being, implemented and managed. And what is truth. And what is pure fiction. Or worse.