Bill Maher, a longtime critic of President Donald Trump, has shared why he thinks the US mishandled the war with Iran.
Israel and the US launched a coordinated strike on Iran on February 28, with one air strike reportedly killing Iran’s supreme leader.
Those joint attacks have primarily focused on Iran’s missile capabilities and military facilities, along with major locations connected to the country’s nuclear programme.
Iran then hit back, striking several Gulf nations aligned with the US as well as targets in Israel.
Although Maher has appeared broadly supportive of Trump’s decision to carry out the first wave of strikes, he later laid out what he sees as serious mistakes during Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday (March 20).
“You know where we f**ked up? A few places,” he said.
“One, we’re blowing up each other’s oil now. They didn’t foresee the Strait of Hormuz stuff well enough.”
After the US and Israeli strikes, Iran moved to block the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway between the UAE and Iran’s southern coast that carries roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil traffic.
Maher also took aim at Washington’s approach to drone warfare, saying: “They should have [known] from the Ukrainian war… Drones are cheap and they can do a lot of damage.”
He added that he had expected some form of uprising inside Iran, but argued that modern conditions make that far harder, saying it’s not like “1944 in France, where you can have an underground, where you can smuggle in guns.”
“These poor people have been living under this horrible fascist theocracy,” he added.
Even with those criticisms, Maher has still signalled agreement with Trump’s initial decision to strike.
“I would rather be on the right side and be able to control the outcome of something that I know is gonna happen, regardless,” said Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna.
“I have to agree,’ Maher said.
In the latest escalation, Trump has issued Iran a 48-hour ultimatum and outlined what he says will come next in the conflict.
The president warned that Iran’s energy infrastructure would be targeted if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully reopened within 48 hours.
Writing on Truth Social on Saturday (March 21), Trump said: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”
Khatam Al-Anbiya, the Iranian military’s operational command, responded with its own warning, saying in a statement: “If Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is violated by the enemy, all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted.”
The White House has been contacted for comment.