by Edwin Quinabo
Towering infernos blaze across the Middle East with dark black clouds and choking smoke spread as deadly signatures from bombs launched in the ongoing war between the US-Israel and Iran. In Iran, residents are cautioned to stay indoors or leave city centers. In Israel, residents seek safety at the nearest bomb shelter.
Fuel storage facilities, energy infrastructure both oil refineries and fuel depots, military bases, even water treatment plants have all been targeted from Tehran to Tel Aviv and Gulf states. The skies are ominous, razed buildings apocalyptic; and there’s no telling how long this war will last.
Financial cost of war to the US
Pentagon officials briefed Congress stating that in the first week of the US military campaign against Iran, it has cost the US about $6 billion, with about $4 billion spent on munitions and advanced interceptors alone. Interceptors are used to shoot down Iranian missiles headed toward Israel and military bases in Gulf states. Other estimates have the cost of war to the US between $1-$2 billion a day.
Hawaii and national politicians, Trump and Secretary of State on the war
“The war is costing a billion dollars a day,” Sen Brian Schatz (HI) said. “In one month, we will spend more over there than we needed to save healthcare for more than 2 million Americans. They literally are taking away your food and your healthcare for this regime change war of choice,” Schatz added.
During President Donald Trump’s campaign, he decried America’s costly “forever wars” and said the trillions in taxpayer dollars should be spent on US infrastructure. Trump ran on ending forever wars and his critics say this latest military campaign against Iran goes contrary to what he promised.
Speaking after a closed-door session, Schatz said there are moments when members walk out with a clearer sense of “the gravity of the situation and the rationale behind the military action,” adding bluntly, “this is not one of those times.” He criticized what he described as “three or four or five justifications” offered in recent days, saying nothing presented behind closed doors resolved the growing confusion surrounding the act of war.
Sen Maize Hirono (HI) wrote on her X account “The Pentagon confirmed there was NO sign that Iran was going to attack the U.S. No imminent threat. No authorization from Congress. No reason our service members should be dead. And no exit plan or strategy. This war on Iran is a reckless and deadly mistake by this regime.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave one explanation for the preemptive strike on Iran. He said the US Department of Defense assessed that “if we waited for them [Iran] to hit us first after they were attacked… by someone else—Israel attacked them, they hit us first, and we waited for them to hit us—we would suffer more casualties and more deaths. We went proactively, in a defensive way, to prevent them from inflicting higher damage. Had we not done so, there would’ve been hearings on Capitol Hill about how we knew that this was gonna happen, and we didn’t act preemptively to prevent more casualties and more loss of life.”
President Trump announced at the beginning of strikes that Iran’s network of proxy groups that fight across the region must be stopped. He also said, “The regime [Iran] already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and our bases, both local and overseas, and would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.”
Independent weapons experts say that Iran does not have weapons capable of reaching the US.
Sen Andy Kim (NJ) questions the validity of Iran posing an imminent threat. “Whatever imminent threat they’re [Iran] posing was likely in reaction to our unprecedented miliary buildup in the region. This [latest attack on Iran] is an example of the president deciding what he wanted to do, and then making his administration go and find whatever argument they could make to justify it.”
The US has some 19 permanent bases in the Middle East from where missiles are launched into Iran. Iran had previously warned that if it were attacked, it would respond by targeting US military facilities across the region.
Casualties count
As of March 5, the death toll of this war: 1,230 Iran, 77 Lebanon, 11 Israel, 6 US military (who died in an Iranian strike in Kuwait), 4 Kuwait, 3 UAE, 2 Iraq, 1 Bahrain and 1 Oman. Strikes have been reported in more than a dozen countries across the region according to the Institute for the Study of War with AEI’s Critical Threats Project.
President Trump said more US casualties are “expected” in the conflict that he estimates could take four to five weeks, adding he has “no time limits on anything.” Trump also said he isn’t ruling out US ground forces to enter Iran.
Expanding scope of war bringing in superpowers outside of the Middle East
Besides countries in the Middle East, European nations are being drawn into the conflict, sending military support to the US and Israel. To counter, China and Russia are believed to be helping Iran with military logistics and satellite tracking. Others have speculated that Russia is also providing military hardware. Both Chinese and Russian leaders have condemned the US-Israel preemptive strikes but haven’t announced publicly support for Iran militarily.
Economist and public policy scholar Jeffrey Sachs warned the potential escalation of the Iran war could lead to a global catastrophe. He said the conflict with Iran would not be isolated and that it could increase the likelihood of nuclear war. Sachs told CNN-News18 that the solution was clear and straightforward, “The United States and Israel should go back to their own homes and stop bothering other people, and the war would end. Iran would stop fighting and the war would end. That’s how it should end.” Sachs and other critics of the war say this conflict could lead to World War 3.
What Americans and local Filipinos think of the war
A majority of Americans expressed opposition to the strikes on Iran and Trump’s handling of the war. An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found 56% of Americans oppose the U.S. operation in Iran and 44% favor it. Additionally, 36% of Americans polled say they approve of the president’s handling of Iran. Among respondents, 55% think Iran represents a minor threat or no threat to the United States. The joint poll released on March 6 surveyed 1,591 Americans.
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that 56% of Americans think this will be a prolonged war, and 6 in 10 do not believe Trump has a clear plan for handling the situation in Iran.
Serafin “Jun” Colmenares, a Hawaii Filipino community leader, said “I oppose the war on Iran for several reasons. First, it is an illegal war – it was contrary to rules of international law. It was not sanctioned by the United Nations and was in violation of the US constitution which requires congressional approval to enter a war. Second, there was no imminent threat to the US, and the US should have given talks and diplomacy a chance to resolve the issue. Third, it will be a costly war; given the lack of a coherent plan, chances are it will be a long war, and the US will be once more caught in a quagmire like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, resulting to unimaginable losses in life and property.”
Analysts point out this is the second time that the US attacked Iran recently while in the process of negotiating with Iran. The first attack on June 21-22 last year – aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities. This latest US attack occurred on Feb 28, 2026.
Marilou Munoz, Ewa, said “Most Americans are tired of these forever wars. It’s not just Democrats but many MAGA Republicans are also against this latest war with Iran. Republican politicians in Congress are mostly on board to support the President, but populist Republicans voted for Trump because he vowed not to enter new wars.” She also cites the US’ financial priorities against the war. “We always have unlimited financial resources for military conflicts in the billions, but lawmakers ignore or reject urgent needs that would benefit everyday Americans, saying ‘how will we pay for it?’ It’s time we reprioritize our needs and stop spending trillions in taxpayers’ money for wars and preparation for wars.”
Both the Republican-majority US Senate and House declined to limit President Trump from taking further military action against Iran without congressional support. Votes in both chambers were largely partisan with Republicans voting down limiting Trump’s military action while Democrats largely voted to limit Trump without congressional support.
Congress forced a vote amid concerns that the U.S. could be engaged in another lengthy war in the Middle East, and as polls reveal the American public largely rejects the Iran strikes.
Congress is also considering an additional multi-billion package to support the ongoing war.
Munoz said, “As a devout Catholic Christian, I am against wars that are not imminent and not for purely defensive reasons. Our new Pope Leo has been calling for peace and dialogue. I agree with our Catholic leader.”
Cicero A (Bernie) Bernales, Kailua, supports the US strikes on Iran. “How can the US not get involved when every time the terrorist regime of Iran speaks, they say ‘death to America, death to Israel, and death to all infidels or non-Muslims.’ When these murderous terrorist enemies swear by those slogans, it would be wise to believe them,” he said.
Bernales adds, “Iran might have had already made nuclear bombs out of the enriched uranium they have secretly stockpiled to make at least 11 nuclear bombs. If that was allowed to happen, then it would have been Armageddon because Israel will not wait for anyone, not even the US, to wipe out all of Iran from the face of this planet. The terrorist Iranian regime, not the Iranian people, chose terror and death, not peace, and this has gone on too long for 47 years since 1979. America has given the terrorist Iranian regime all the chances for diplomacy or peaceful settlement.”
On Trump, Bernales said, “Trump has been the president who doesn’t just go in, strike a target, and walk away. He finishes the job. He isn’t playing political games; he is focused on protecting America, the American people, and its allies.”
Jay Flores, Waipahu, believes Iran is a military threat and supports the war on Iran. “Iran’s potential for having nuclear weapons must be stopped – Israel and the US have verified that Iran is developing nuclear weapons and because the current political leadership of that country is opposed to the existence of Israel and has had animosity towards the US since the 70s, they cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.”
Flores said he supports regime change and democracy in Iran. “The US should assist the Iranians seeking new leadership – the regime has sought to undermine American interests in the Middle East and needs to be replaced with a pro-American government that protects its people. I support Donald Trump and trust in his judgement. The US should install an Iranian administration friendly to the US so we can control their oil. If the government of Iran is friendly with the US, America and the rest of the world will benefit from lower oil prices,” he said.
Dennis Galolo also supports this war. “It would be obviously foolish for the U.S. to engage in every conflict but in situations where diplomacy fails and military action is needed; we must first count the cost and ask, ‘Is this a hill truly worth dying on?’” He adds, “Not only did the Iranian regime eliminate 30,000 protestors in recent weeks, but they have also indiscriminately fired missiles at its Muslim neighbors. If they are willing to do that, make no mistake, they will use nuclear weapons on the U.S. and its allies, should they ever develop the capability to do so. As for regime change. I trust the Trump administration to act in the best interest of the Iranian people–similar to the rebuilding and reshaping in Venezuela. So, is this a hill worth dying on? The answer is yes. Diplomacy failed and deadlines to comply were dismissed, so the U.S. acted decisively in order to deter future action by a tyrannical regime.”
Sheryll Bonilla, Honolulu, views this war as a distraction. “How evil are the sex crimes Trump committed against young girls that he needed to start a war to distract attention away from the Epstein files? In January this year, when Trump was getting heat for being a month late turning over the files, he threatened to send our military to take over Greenland. Now that the Dept. of Justice was found hiding files containing accusations against Trump, the US attacked Iran without being attacked first. The most obvious reason $1 billion a day is being spent on a war with Iran is to take attention away from files that were due to be turned over on December 19, 2025, and still are being hidden by the Dept. of Justice.”
Bonilla raises the potential added economic hardship this war will have. “My second thought is — this Iran war is another way that our prices will go up besides tariffs. The Wall Street Journal reports the impact that the Iran war has on agriculture around the world. The Middle East produces a significant portion of the fertilizer used by farmers in many countries. This is planting season. Attacks in this region prevent or reduce the production of fertilizer. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz prevents the export of fertilizer. The shortage of fertilizer raises the costs farmers face and makes them change the crops they can plant. Those increased costs are passed on to those of us eating the food grown. Our food supply is affected by this war, in addition to the increase in our fuel prices,” she said.
Bonilla commented on this administration’s priorities. “$1 billion a day on war, but no money to create a universal healthcare system for our citizens the way all other prosperous democracies have for their citizens. No money to pay for childcare so more women can enter the workforce and bring down the cost of living for families? No money for soft power through USAID to prevent global health epidemics and reduce mortality and keep goodwill for the US? Isn’t investing in people and making life more affordable a better use of $1 billion a day of our tax dollars?”
Trump has ordered bombings in several countries in his first 14 months of his second term: Somalia – Yemen – Iraq – Iran (June 2025) – the Caribbean – Nigeria – Syria – Venezuela.
Price of oil and gas rising fast
For the first time since 2022, global oil prices surged past $100 a barrel due to disruptions and speculation triggered by the Iran war. Since the outbreak of the war the average price of gasoline jumped by 17% at $3.48 in the US.
The strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most important trade arteries, through which about a fifth of global oil pass – has been closed since the US-Israel strike on Iran.
Experts say high oil and gas prices rise depends on whether the Iran war disrupts supplies for a prolonged period.
The extraordinary spike in oil prices is “a very small price to pay” for the US “and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump said on his social media account and described this rise as “short term” and insists they “will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over.”
Until then, gas prices soared across the US in the first week of the war, rising as high as 30 to 60-cent-per-gallon. Prolonged higher oil and gas prices will stoke inflation and force Americans to not only pay higher prices at the pump but also for utilities and groceries, economists say. It also comes at a time of already high inflation due to Trump’s tariffs and high unemployment.
Filipinos in the Middle East
Amid growing concern for Filipinos in the Middle East, more than 200 Filipino migrant worker advocates held a protest in New York City while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived for engagements at the United Nations. The protestors were led by Migrante USA, Tanggol Migrante Queens and Gabriela New York.
There are between 2.1 to 3 million Filipinos living and working in the Middle East with over 1 million in the UAE and 700,000-900,000 in Saudi Arabia.
On March 1, 2026, a 32-year old Filipina caregiver, Mary Ann de Vera, was killed by shrapnel during an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv, Israel.
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