Readers chime in: The future of the war in Iran

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Re: Restrained, handcuffed and in pain: Use of force in women's prisons doubles

I'm a former prison governor, having retired over 20 years ago after 30 years of enjoyable and rewarding service. I was struck by your report on the increase in prison officer restraints on female inmates. To use an old cliche, 'in my day', we were properly funded; we had well-trained staff, many with considerable experience. Through no fault of any of the current prison officers, that seems not to be the case now. 

I most certainly would not lay blame with the all-suffering prison staff but would look to the almost criminal way that the once proud prison service has been subjected to neglect, along with other branches of the criminal justice system. Just as prisoners must be treated with respect, the staff who look after them are also owed respect by the government. Have some respect and cease to blame the staff, who invariably are doing their best with the resources they have. The roots of what problems there are lie elsewhere, I would contend, than on the shoulders of those patrolling the landings. –Peter

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Re: Iran is Binyamin Netanyahu's war. Will Donald Trump end it?

Israel hides behind Donald Trump's skirts. As long as the hegemony of this state continues to be largely sidelined, it will not be held to account for its abhorrent acts. –Carter

Re: Weekly Poll: Will Donald Trump end the war on Iran?

You misunderstand. Millions of (mainly American) Christian Zionists and Evangelicals are actively sponsoring – both financially and politically – the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians. They believe that the Jewish colonisation of 'Greater Israel' will fulfil an end-of-times condition, paving the way for the Second Coming. Neutralising Iran speeds up the process. –John

Everyone with a brain and common sense and some sort of un-twisted logic knows full well that the man in the White House will not rein in the man in Tel Aviv. And to make matters worse, you and I and everyone else know full well that the former cannot even rein in himself. And nor does he want to! –Béatrice

I think he's realising the magnitude of the mess he's made and wants out, but he wants to get allies involved so he can basically say, 'I've done the hard part – all you've got to do is a bit of clean-up and keep the Straits of Hormuz open', and then blame everyone else when the situation inevitably deteriorates even more. –Alex

'Can Trump rein in Netanyahu on Iran?' You assume that this is not a war of choice by the United States? Netanyahu would not have been able to wage war if the US didn't want it. –Tony

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