Trump was warned an Iran war could spiral. Six months later, it has

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skrtdj5vfx

Days before President Donald Trump ordered the United States into war with Iran in February, he summoned his intelligence chief to the Oval Office and asked whether a full-scale attack was the right move, according to a Wall Street Journal report detailing the warnings he received before the conflict and the decisions that followed.

Iran was at its weakest point in decades, senior aides and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump, offering what they saw as a rare chance to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program and strengthen the president’s legacy as a peacemaker. The question was whether a major attack could achieve that goal and perhaps even bring down the regime.

Then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard presented a far more cautious assessment.

According to people familiar with the meeting, she warned Trump that killing Iran’s supreme leader could produce an even harder-line government, one more willing to pursue nuclear weapons. Tehran would likely move to close the Strait of Hormuz, destabilizing global energy markets, and strike US forces and allies across the Middle East, raising questions about Washington’s credibility and resolve.

Those warnings were not isolated. Senior military leaders also cautioned that a war could result in American casualties, strain weapons stockpiles and create readiness problems for an already stretched military.

Trump was warned an Iran war could spiral. Six months later, it has

US officials warned Trump that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz, attack American forces and survive regime change; after six months of war and failed diplomacy, he is now betting on sanctions and a blockade

ynet|08:37

Days before President Donald Trump ordered the United States into war with Iran in February, he summoned his intelligence chief to the Oval Office and asked whether a full-scale attack was the right move, according to a Wall Street Journal report detailing the warnings he received before the conflict and the decisions that followed.

Iran was at its weakest point in decades, senior aides and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump, offering what they saw as a rare chance to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program and strengthen the president’s legacy as a peacemaker. The question was whether a major attack could achieve that goal and perhaps even bring down the regime.Trump was warned an Iran war could spiral. Six months later, it has 

Those warnings were not isolated. Senior military leaders also cautioned that a war could result in American casualties, strain weapons stockpiles and create readiness problems for an already stretched military.

Trump ordered the attack anyway. It began on Feb. 28, accompanied by calls for Iranians to overthrow their government.

Nearly six months later, a war Trump had said would be over within six weeks is still underway, with no clear end in sight.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains in control of the country and continues attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The government led by Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father after the supreme leader was killed, has shown no sign of surrendering.

The stalemate has pushed Trump to consider declaring victory if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, even without securing the nuclear agreement he originally sought.

For now, the president has shifted toward sanctions and a continuing blockade, betting that economic pressure can accomplish what military force and diplomacy have so far failed to deliver.

The cost has already been heavy.

An estimated 3,000 Iranians and 18 US servicemembers have been killed in combat-related operations, while the Pentagon says another 756 American troops have been wounded. US bases have been damaged, emergency oil reserves have been depleted and American munitions stockpiles have been strained.

Politically, the war has also become a growing liability. It is weighing on Republican prospects ahead of the midterm elections and has helped push Trump’s approval ratings to the lowest point of his presidency.

Some former White House and national security officials argue there is no simple path left to Trump’s preferred outcome: a deal that indefinitely restricts Iran’s nuclear program while allowing him to claim a historic wartime achievement.

“This was all predictable and predicted,” said Eric Brewer, a deputy vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations. “You can draw a straight line from the fact that the war was launched without any clear political objective to the mishandled diplomacy in trying to end it.”

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump had devastated Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure and was now preparing to crush its economy through sanctions and a naval blockade.

“He will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Wales said. “It would be wise for Iran to reach a deal. Otherwise, they know what could happen.”

Despite the warnings from national security officials, Trump repeatedly suggested that the military could deal with complications as they emerged.

Hegseth and Caine responded on several occasions that they would manage whatever problems developed, according to officials who attended the meetings. Early applause gives way to doubts

Shortly after the war began on Feb. 28, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s principal Iran envoys, arrived at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago with major news: Israel had killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Trump was delighted. He told them to announce the news to the crowd.

The room erupted in applause. Trump crossed his arms and puffed out his chest as he absorbed the reaction, according to people familiar with the event.

The satisfaction did not last.