U.S. President Donald Trump, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at his side, looks on as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump was warned about how bad things could get with Iran if he went to war, but he ignored all of those advisors, sources told the Wall Street Journal in a report that dropped late Monday night. One conservative is blaming, in part, Trump's officials for the disaster.
According to the Journal, DNI Tulsi Gabbard and Vice President JD Vance were clear with Trump that there would be consequences. It was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who were pressing the president forward on the war with Iran. The result has been exactly what critics warned and Trump is furious.
Military historian Max Boot pointed out on X that it's clear Netanyahu isn't the only one to blame for the disaster in Iran.
"WSJ reporting makes clear that Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, not just Bibi Netanyahu, bear a lot of the blame for convincing Trump to launch an unwinnable war, while the U.S. intelligence community accurately warned of the risks," Boot wrote.
Those advocating for war claimed that "Iran was at its weakest point in decades," said senior aides. It was Netanyahu who gave Trump the details on the matter, saying that Trump had a rare opportunity to take down Iran's nuclear program entirely.
"Then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard outlined assessments from America’s intelligence apparatus. According to people familiar with the meeting, she told Trump that killing Iran’s supreme leader would likely usher in a more hard-line regime open to acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran would rush to close the Strait of Hormuz, destabilizing the global energy market. And it would strike U.S. forces and partners in the Middle East, prompting questions about American resolve and reliability with allies," the report said.
Meanwhile, military members were telling Trump that the U.S. weapons stockpile and readiness would take a big hit.
Trump ignored the warnings.
"Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps controls the country and fires on commercial ships in the strait," wrote the Journal. "The regime led by Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader who succeeded his slain father, shows no signs of capitulating. The deadlock has led Trump to consider declaring victory if the waterway opens, even without a nuclear deal."
Trump ripped up the nuclear deal that former President Barack Obama negotiated, claiming it was terrible and he could do better.
"Trump privately fumed at the backlash," the report noted, citing his officials. "He queried aides about why Iran wasn’t backing down amid the unrelenting bombing campaign."
By April, Trump was torn about what to do, and a friend suggested he simply end the war. But Trump was asking whether he should "bomb the s——" out of Iran instead. The Trump ally warned he shouldn't, but he was also ignored.