Cuba Gooding Jr. Rips Into Israel-Iran Escalation, Says War Is Ignorant

Cuba Gooding Jr. didn't mince words when asked about the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran potentially dragging the USA into war -- saying when you put everything in perspective, war is just flat-out ignorant.

TMZ caught up with the actor at LAX Wednesday ... he remarked on the brutality of war being propelled by men in powerful positions who are making decisions to wipe people off the planet, just to make their point.

Cuba points out how we're all constantly exposed to the anger and devastation from all corners of the world now thanks to the internet -- what used to be a one-sided view of heroes and villains has morphed into something far more personal.

For example, he recalls Americans used to think of Russians as the bad guys in the movies ... but now as we're seeing brutal images of war with innocent people, even babies, dying in the streets, it's showing more similarity to people's lived experiences in their own backyards across the planet.