|
To succeed, the United States must be able to translate battlefield wins into political leverage.
|
|
As Israeli warplanes continue to pummel Tehran and other parts of the country, President Trump has given mixed messages on whether the U.S. will join Israel's war on Iran. Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a message on Thursday that Trump will decide on direct U.S. involvement in the next two weeks. Leavitt delivered the message shortly after Trump met with his former advisor Steve Bannon who has publicly warned against war with Iran. The U.S. is reportedly considering dropping "bunker buster" bombs on underground Iranian nuclear facilities. "It's reminiscent of the beginning of the Iraq War, when they said it's going to be a cakewalk," says William Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
A U.S.-based Iranian human rights group reports that the Israeli attacks have killed at least 639 people in Iran, while Iran's retaliatory strikes in Israel have killed an estimated two dozen.
|
|
By backing Israel's attack on Iran, Trump violated his anti-war pledge. Will his opponents take advantage of it?
|
|
