President Donald Trump’s Iran policy is so confusing, it is unclear whether the president himself is entirely clear on what he wants to achieve.
Noting that Trump’s historically-lengthy State of the Union message “just a few minutes to the subject” and falsely implied Iran had never forsworn nuclear weapons, The Economist reported that Trump has also threatened Iran over killing protesters earlier this year, the existence of its missile arsenal or simply to commit a coup.
“His ultimate goal remains a mystery,” The Economist wrote. “If war comes, it will be a war in search of an objective. Never before has America amassed so much firepower with so little idea of how to use it.”
After breaking down how each of Trump’s possible explanations for attacking Iran lack a compelling case for urgency, The Economist cited its recent survey with YouGov to point out that “most Americans are confused” about the war, with a mere 27 percent supporting war.
“Though Republicans are more supportive than the country as a whole, some of Mr Trump’s MAGA allies are baffled as to why the president is contemplating the sort of Middle Eastern war he once campaigned against,” The Economist wrote. “Members of Mr Trump’s cabinet briefed top members of Congress on February 24th. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, emerged in confusion. ‘If they want to do something in Iran, and who the hell knows what it is, they should make it public,’ he said.”
Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg is one of the Republicans to turn on Trump over his proposed Iran war. Singling out how Trump proposed to declare war without congressional authorization, Goldberg wrote for the Los Angeles Times that Trump only respects “enablers.” Expressing doubt over whether Trump has a “workable plan” for winning the war and “securing the country afterward,” Goldberg emphasized that any attack would be unjustified without congressional approval.
“Think of it this way: If I don’t have your permission to enter your home and take what I want, we’re not in a gray area,” Goldberg argued. “The legal default setting is that you don’t have permission to rob a person unless expressly told otherwise.”
Even within Trump’s top military circles, doubts persist about the wisdom of pursuing Iran.
"There's an ongoing debate at the top levels of the Trump administration about how to handle the Iran standoff and what the consequences of each option would be," Axios reported. "At the moment, several of the voices in Trump's circle are urging caution, though some sources think Trump himself is leaning towards a strike."
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