The Calm Before the Firestorm: Washington and Jerusalem Prepare for a Possible New Assault on Iran

🔤🔤🔤🔤1️⃣

Behind closed doors, military planners in Washington and Jerusalem are preparing for a scenario that could plunge the Middle East back into a devastating confrontation.

According to The New York Times, the United States and Israel have developed plans for renewed strikes against Iran following America’s November 3 midterm elections. Military exercises have intensified, strike scenarios are being refined, and the possibility of a short but intense campaign is once again on the table.

Yet the most consequential question remains unanswered: will Trump authorize another offensive, or is the growing military pressure intended to force Tehran into making concessions? The preparations are unfolding against a backdrop of stalled diplomacy, rising energy prices, and deep uncertainty over the future of the region.

American and Israeli forces have reportedly rehearsed strike maneuvers, including flights over Iraq, while planners consider potential targets ranging from nuclear facilities and missile arsenals to energy infrastructure.

According to reporting by an Israeli high-ranking official, he objective would be to weaken Iran’s ability to rebuild its military capabilities and increase the pressure on its leadership to accept a negotiated settlement. No final decision to launch a new campaign has been announced. The timing is hardly accidental.

Trump has to weigh the military advantages of renewed action against the political risks of prolonging an unpopular conflict. Higher gasoline prices, concerns about American casualties, and the possibility of retaliation against U.S. forces could turn another offensive into a serious liability at home. The midterm elections may therefore become a critical political deadline, even as military preparations continue in the background.

For Netanyahu, the stakes are different but no less urgent. Jerusalem remains concerned that Iran could restore damaged military capabilities and continue developing weapons that threaten Israel and its regional partners. From the Israeli perspective, allowing Tehran time to recover could make a future confrontation more difficult and costly.

Yet even close allies may disagree over how far to go, how long an operation should last, and what political outcome it could realistically achieve. Avner Vilan, a former senior Israeli security official and Iran specialist, offered a cautious assessment to The Jerusalem Post: “We’re in a situation where both sides continue to exert pressure on each other, without any lasting agreement in place.”

His warning captures the dangerous ambiguity surrounding the current standoff. Neither side has secured a durable settlement, and every new military maneuver risks being interpreted as preparation for an imminent attack.

The potential target list underscores the scale of the dilemma. Iranian nuclear facilities, missile production sites, drone arsenals, command centers, and energy infrastructure could all feature in military planning.

#UnitedStates #Israel #Iran #MiddleEastSources

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

🔤🔤🔤🔤2️⃣

Strikes against these sites might disrupt Tehran’s ability to launch attacks and impose substantial economic costs. But the destruction of infrastructure does not automatically eliminate the technical expertise, industrial networks, or political determination needed to rebuild it. That uncertainty is central to the debate in Washington.

A limited campaign could produce visible military results without resolving the underlying confrontation. A broader offensive might inflict more damage but also provoke a response that neither the United States nor Israel could easily contain.

Iran could retaliate against Israeli territory, American military installations, or regional partners, while attacks on shipping could threaten the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors.

The economic consequences could reach far beyond the Middle East. Any serious disruption to oil shipments or regional energy infrastructure could drive prices higher, intensifying inflationary pressure in the United States and elsewhere. For Trump, that would create a stark contradiction: a military campaign designed to improve American and allied security could simultaneously raise costs for consumers and undermine confidence in his economic agenda.

Gil Murciano, chief executive of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, has also pointed to the domestic political constraints surrounding the conflict. The unpopularity of military action among American voters, he argues, complicates the prospect of a new escalation before the midterm elections. That political reality does not eliminate the risk of war, but it may influence the timing and scale of any decision.

Meanwhile, diplomacy remains fragile. Washington may believe that the threat of renewed strikes can force Tehran to compromise on its nuclear program and regional activities. Iran, however, could interpret the same preparations as evidence that negotiations offer little protection against future attacks.

If that perception hardens, military pressure could narrow the diplomatic space rather than expand it. The most dangerous possibility is that neither side intends to trigger a full-scale regional war, yet both continue taking steps that make one increasingly difficult to avoid.

A miscalculation, an attack causing significant casualties, or a sudden disruption to shipping could rapidly change the calculations in Washington, Jerusalem, and Tehran. For now, the military plans represent preparation, not a confirmed order to attack.

Trump could still decide that diplomatic pressure offers a better path than another campaign. But as military exercises intensify and negotiations remain uncertain, the region is entering a period in which even a limited incident could carry consequences far beyond its immediate target.

The real test for Washington and Jerusalem will not simply be whether they can strike Iran again. It will be whether they have a credible strategy for what comes afterward.

Without a clear political endgame, another offensive could destroy infrastructure, deepen regional instability, and leave the central conflict unresolved. The question hanging over the Middle East is no longer just how a new war might begin, but whether anyone can guarantee where it would end.

#UnitedStates #Israel #Iran #MiddleEastSources

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Tehran’s Neighborhood Watch

Iran has warned its neighbors that their airports could be hit if the United States attacks.

Tehran told regional governments and mediators that renewed American and Israeli strikes would bring attacks on Gulf airports, pipelines, and other civilian infrastructure, The Wall Street Journal reported. Officials delivered the warnings in public statements and through private diplomatic channels.

The Revolutionary Guards set a second trigger. Continued U.S. naval escorts through shipping lanes Iran considers illegal could bring strikes on American bases.

Iraq shut the Sheeb crossing with Iran to passengers, vehicles, and trucks while it reviews security and installs equipment to detect prohibited goods.

If Washington and Israel strike Iran, Tehran’s answer will land on Gulf airports and pipelines.

#Iran #GulfSecurity #Iraq #Hormuz

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Iran Joins the Campaign

Netanyahu says Iran wants him out of office. Tehran has become the foreign threat and the campaign endorsement, helpfully rolled into one.

“We have clear warnings from military intelligence and the Mossad that Iran and its proxies are considering ways to influence the elections,” the prime minister told The Jerusalem Post. He threatened a response with “force and might they can’t even imagine.”

The military’s reported assessment is narrower. Channel 13 quoted IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir as saying there was no current operational need to strike Iran before the vote. If a strike became necessary, he added, it would go ahead.

Former Trump administration officials told Jewish Insider that renewed fighting before the Israeli and American elections was unlikely unless an imminent threat or an actual attack forced action.

Netanyahu’s warning is about interference. Zamir’s is about war. The campaign runs them together.

The result is a personal proposition. Iran fears Netanyahu’s reelection, so voters should deliver it.

#IsraelElections #Iran #Netanyahu #SecurityPolitics

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

War, After the Checkout

Washington and Israel have drawn up another Iran strike package. The preferred launch window appears to open after American voters finish judging the price of gasoline.

ABC News reported that the two militaries have prepared joint strikes for the coming weeks. Two Israeli sources said action would almost certainly follow the Nov. 3 midterms, because Trump wants to avoid further disruption to oil markets before the vote. Authorization remains his decision.

Possible targets include petrochemical facilities and nuclear sites. Netanyahu favors renewed action, according to the sources. His government denies reports that Trump blocked an earlier Israeli operation.

Washington has ordered nonessential diplomatic staff and their families out of Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks. The State Department said the order covers Saudi Arabia only, not every Gulf mission.

Netanyahu wants military action. Trump wants to choose its timing without paying for it at the pump before the vote.

#Iran #Trump #Netanyahu #Midterms

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Maximum Pressure Reaches the Beach

Washington counts the oil Iran cannot sell. The Gulf is counting the oil washing ashore.

On Oct. 22, U.S. Central Command marked 100 days of its resumed naval blockade, saying it had prevented at least $25 billion in Iranian crude exports. “There have been no exports or imports to Iran by sea except for the humanitarian aid U.S. forces have allowed,” the command said.

Trump accuses Tehran of trying to raise oil prices before the American midterms. Iran says it will keep Hormuz closed until Washington meets its conditions.

Authorities closed all beaches and coastal areas in Umm Al Quwain on Oct. 23 after a tanker spill. A researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, reviewing satellite imagery from Oct. 19 and 21, put the slick at about 160 square kilometers.

UAE officials have not named the tanker. Orbital Risk Intelligence identified it as the Gem No. 2, which shipping sources say was hit by an unidentified projectile off the UAE coast on Oct. 9. Windward’s drift model put Sharjah’s and Ajman’s desalination intakes in the slick’s path by Oct. 22 or 23 if the leak was not stopped.

#Iran #Hormuz #Oil #UAE

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

The Superpower Will Disconnect You

Tehran’s next bid for world power could begin by cutting off the neighbors’ internet.

Iran has drawn up detailed plans to attack Gulf undersea communications cables if the United States and Israel strike again, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters. One said Iran would also try to prevent repairs, prolonging the disruption.

“If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines ... from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones,” one official said.

Revolutionary Guards spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi promised a response “several times greater” to even a limited attack. He also insisted Iran’s enemies currently lack the capacity for effective military operations. Apparently, the incapable enemy still requires an expanding target list.

Washington’s regional security promise and Tehran’s deterrence doctrine now meet at the same cable. One side stations forces to protect the neighborhood. The other threatens to disconnect it if those forces attack.

The neighbors bought connectivity. The powers supplied the cancellation policy.

#BabylonBurning #Iran #IRGC #GulfSecurity

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

The Retaliation Subscription

Washington and Tehran are preparing the next round. Each describes its package as a response to the other.

In private, Trump appears to favor renewed strikes. Central Command has expanded its target list to include Iranian energy infrastructure.

Trump has said he would hold off until after the Nov. 3 midterms.

Two Iranian officials told the Times that Tehran’s expanded targets include U.S. diplomats and personnel. They called Americans “fair game,” citing U.S. and Israeli killings of Iranian officials and their family members.

American intelligence says several plots are moving toward execution.

Both sides are manufacturing the next round’s justification in advance. Washington prepares to bomb Iran’s economy. Tehran prepares to target the people representing Washington. Each preparation gives the other another reason to act.

#BabylonBurning #Iran #Trump #MiddleEast

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

War, Pending Scheduling

Bombing Iran apparently requires finding a date that works for both democracies.

CNN reports that Netanyahu pressed Trump for a joint strike before Israel's election. Trump withheld approval. An Israeli security source told CNN that military chief Eyal Zamir warned his American counterpart that an attack could disrupt the vote and force its postponement. Netanyahu's office called the report "fake news."

Two U.S. officials said American forces could launch strikes within 96 hours of Trump's order.

The target list, according to the officials, includes energy infrastructure, military sites, and nuclear facilities.

Trump has yet to settle on a course of action.

#BabylonBurning #Iran #Israel #Trump

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Trump's new strikes on Iran... Coming soon 💥

#Trump #Iran #Strikes

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

War, after the midterms

Gulf states have been told to prepare for a “short, intense” renewal of the war. American voters get to cast their ballots first.

The Trump administration has warned several Gulf Arab states of a possible campaign against Iran after the Nov. 3 midterms, The Wall Street Journal reports.

U.S. forces are replenishing munitions and preparing bombers and fighters. Trump is leaning toward a large attack on Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites but has not authorized it.

The reported objective is to weaken Tehran and push it into negotiations. Gulf governments must also prepare for Iran’s response: Tehran has threatened retaliation against regional economic and civilian infrastructure.

The warning gives Washington another lever of diplomatic pressure and gives Iran’s neighbors reason to check their air defenses.

The nuclear picture is far from clear-cut. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that his agency has detected no rebuilding of facilities damaged in the 2025 and 2026 strikes.

Iran still denies inspectors access to the bombed sites. Satellite monitoring, the agency stresses, cannot replace inspections.

Trump has said he will not strike before the midterms. Asked about an attack afterward, he replied, “Anything is possible.” The military decision remains open. The election calendar, by contrast, is explicit.

#Iran #Trump #Midterms #GulfSecurity

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Seven days, no deal

Qatar reportedly delivered a peace proposal. An Iranian official says Tehran got ideas, not an offer. Diplomacy has reached the stage of negotiating whether the paperwork exists.

An official briefed on the talks told Reuters that Qatari mediators brought a new draft to Tehran on Oct. 25. It sets out seven days of reciprocal confidence-building steps, potentially starting early next week, with several countries guaranteeing implementation.

The official said Iran’s response is expected by the weekend.

A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, disputed that account, saying Tehran had received “unacceptable ideas and not an offer” and would show no flexibility on its nuclear program.

The Qatari draft is separate from Iran’s own seven-day plan, which Trump rejected.

Under that plan, Tehran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to the U.S. naval blockade, access to frozen assets, and oil-sanctions relief, among other demands.

Qatar says Iran must stop threatening Gulf states and reopen the strait to show good faith.

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin visited Tehran on Monday. The announced result was an agreement to continue talking.

Tehran wants economic concessions before loosening its chokehold on shipping, while Qatar wants the chokehold loosened first.

#Iran #Qatar #Hormuz #Diplomacy

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Disconnecting the enemy

Washington wants to freeze Iran’s digital money. Tehran threatens to cut its neighbors’ digital connections. Both have found a pressure point inside the network.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Iran uses cryptocurrency to evade sanctions and calls that reliance a sign of desperation. U.S. authorities, he says, are tracking and freezing the funds.

Tehran is weighing a more physical response. Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters that Iran has detailed plans to attack undersea cables in the Gulf if the U.S. and Israel strike again. One said Iran would also obstruct repairs.

The global effect would be limited, since less than 1% of international bandwidth passes through Hormuz. Multiple cuts could still disrupt Gulf banking, commerce, and cloud services.

Russia, meanwhile, is sending more workers to Iran’s nuclear industry. Rosatom plans to raise its construction workforce at Bushehr to 200 in November, reversing wartime evacuations. The company’s chief, Alexei Likhachev, acknowledges that renewed fighting could disrupt the schedule.

The expansion comes as mediators try to resolve the U.S.-Iran confrontation and Tehran refuses nuclear concessions. Bushehr is a civilian power plant, separate from the disputed enrichment program. Even as the nuclear bargaining stalls, part of Iran’s nuclear industry has a staffing plan.

#Iran #Sanctions #Hormuz #Rosatom

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Trump Eyes a New War With Iran


Trump has received a high-level military briefing on potential U.S. military action against Iran, raising fresh questions about whether Washington is preparing to resume major combat operations in the Middle East after the November 3 midterm elections.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), met with Trump at the White House on Thursday to discuss possible military options involving Iran. The unusual face-to-face meeting also included Defense Secretary Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and other senior administration officials, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the discussions.

The meeting comes as the Trump administration weighs its next move in an increasingly volatile confrontation with Tehran. U.S. officials have reportedly warned several Arab Gulf nations to prepare for a potentially short but intense military campaign after the midterm elections.

The possible targets could include Iranian military infrastructure and nuclear facilities, according to separate reporting by the Associated Press.Trump has publicly left the door open to renewed military action, suggesting that Washington could launch another limited campaign if Iran refuses to accept U.S. demands.

Speaking at a rally last week, the president referred to the possibility of another operation similar to the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign conducted earlier this year, known as Operation Epic Fury.

The administration has also strengthened its military posture across the region. The Pentagon has reinforced air defenses, increased supplies of ammunition and other military equipment, and taken steps to reduce the vulnerability of American personnel at exposed bases. An additional Patriot missile battery is also being sent to Israel as regional forces face growing pressure on their air-defense resources.

Meanwhile, Iran has signaled that any new American attack could trigger retaliation against U.S. and Gulf targets. Tehran has reportedly resumed ballistic missile production and intensified efforts to threaten American personnel and regional military installations. Thursday's White House meeting followed another high-level session on Wednesday, when senior military officials met with JD Vance.

The sequence of briefings underscores the growing attention within the administration to possible military scenarios involving Iran. However, a presidential briefing does not mean that a decision to launch new strikes has been made. Diplomacy remains an option, and officials familiar with the discussions have indicated that Trump has not given final approval for another military operation.

The timing is particularly significant. With the November 3 elections approaching, Trump faces competing pressures: maintaining his campaign promise to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon while avoiding a wider regional conflict that could carry substantial military, economic and political costs.

For now, Washington appears to be keeping both military and diplomatic options on the table. Whether the latest White House consultations lead to renewed strikes or become another round of strategic pressure on Tehran remains an open question.

#Trump #Iran #MiddleEast #USMilitary

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

The war that pays for itself

Trump says America has time to negotiate with Iran because the war has more than paid for itself. The Pentagon’s estimate of its cost through mid-October is $47.1 billion.

“Whatever we’ve spent, we’ve more than made up for in a place called Venezuela,”

he told reporters Friday. He cited access to Venezuelan oil as compensation for seven months of war. Access to oil, however, is not an accounting of money received or war expenses repaid.

Qatari mediators spent more than 12 hours in Tehran on Friday trying to prevent renewed U.S.-led attacks. Iranian representatives arrived in Doha on Saturday to continue the talks.

A reported draft proposes moving Iran’s highly enriched uranium to an agreed third country or reducing its enrichment level, alongside reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days of an initial understanding.

Reciprocal U.S. sanctions relief and a possible Chinese guarantee are also under discussion. These remain proposed terms.

The negotiators are working through stockpiles, shipping access, and verifiable commitments.

Trump has already settled the financial question. In his account, an oil arrangement in one country reimburses a war in another.

The Pentagon records the expenditure. The president announces the reimbursement without showing the receipt.

#Iran #Trump #Venezuela #WarCosts

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Deterrence without borders

Iran’s supreme leader has promised retaliation without geographical limits. Neighboring countries have been given no say in the boundaries of their next war.

Mojtaba Khamenei ordered commanders to prepare an “immediate” response to threats, one without “geographic limits,” according to a statement published Saturday on his official Telegram account. He also ordered an updated target list covering U.S. and Israeli “physical and non-physical” assets. The statement names no specific new targets.

Khamenei said Iran would determine the timing and conditions for ending any renewed military or “terrorist” attacks. Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia made the regional warning explicit, saying another American intervention would engulf a “much wider geographical area.” Iran has already attacked U.S. assets across the Middle East during the war.

The message arrives as Iranian representatives pursue talks in Doha to prevent renewed fighting. Tehran is negotiating an agreement while advertising the cost of failing to reach one.

Calling this “maximum deterrence,” as [who] did, does not make its geography abstract. American assets sit in other countries, near their infrastructure and populations.

Tehran’s warning tells Washington that another strike could widen the war, and tells Iran’s neighbors that their territory remains available for the reply.

#Iran #Khamenei #GulfSecurity #Diplomacy

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Hormuz could reopen, conditions apply

Iran says it can reopen the Strait of Hormuz in two days. First, Washington must accept a package covering sanctions, frozen money, military deployments and where ships may sail.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Qatar’s mediation had shortened the proposed implementation period from seven days to two.

Tehran wants Washington to lift the sanctions imposed after the Islamabad memorandum, restore oil waivers, release frozen funds and reduce U.S. forces.

The shipping clause deserves the closest attention. Iran wants recognition of a route discussed with Oman and the closure of other routes. An Iranian official previously said the proposed corridor would run through Iranian territorial waters on entry and partly on exit. Reopening would therefore bring ships back under a new arrangement, rather than restore their previous passage.

Off Qeshm Island on Saturday, Iranian authorities reported a drone attack on two fishing boats, blaming the United States.

Initial reports described two injured and two missing. Iranian state media later said both missing fishermen had been rescued.

Neither Iran’s account of who struck the boats nor [who]’s claim that the crews were Revolutionary Guard spotters has been independently confirmed.

Ships would return to Hormuz, but Iran wants to decide which way they come in.

#Iran #Hormuz #Shipping #Diplomacy

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Freedom of navigation, military escort required

Washington is sending more warships toward Iran while running an oil-shipping operation that much of the private sector still considers too dangerous to use.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island amphibious group are expected in the Middle East by late November, bringing roughly 9,000 to 10,000 sailors and Marines, Stars and Stripes reported. The Roosevelt may replace another carrier. Three carriers operating together is possible but not confirmed.

The buildup was first reported in early October. Since then, Washington has been replenishing munitions, preparing combat aircraft and moving a Patriot missile-defense system from Texas to Israel as Trump considers renewed strikes after the midterms.

In Hormuz, the 82nd Airborne Division leads a shipping-protection mission from a joint operations center in the UAE, The Washington Post reports. Aircraft, drones, air defenses and warships provide layered protection. Participating vessels receive crossing instructions, switch off tracking transponders, then transfer cargo to private ships outside the strait.

Most private shipping companies still refuse the passage, even with protection. A Western official described the resulting shuttle operation as “completely unsustainable.”

More firepower gives Trump additional military options. It has not yet made commercial shipping routine again. Freedom of navigation currently requires a military escort and a customer willing to risk the trip.

#Iran #Hormuz #USNavy #Shipping

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Talks about having talks

Qatari mediators spent more than 12 hours in Tehran discussing an agreement. Iran’s foreign minister says his country currently sees no need to meet American officials. The intermediaries are getting plenty of work.

A reported draft framework proposes transferring Iran’s highly enriched uranium to a third country or reducing its enrichment level, alongside reopening Hormuz and reciprocal economic concessions.

No final agreement has been announced. A proposal to move the material is not confirmation that Tehran has agreed to surrender it.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who called Washington’s dialogue offer “a positive step,” says the U.S. must first accept Iran’s conditions.

Among them are restored oil-sales waivers, access to frozen assets and recognition of a shipping route discussed with Oman, with alternative routes closed. He says mediators are discussing cutting the implementation period from seven days to two.

Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei says a newer American response indicates willingness to accept Iran’s seven conditions. Washington has not publicly confirmed that account. Vice President JD Vance’s letter to Rezaei has not been published.

The sequencing dispute remains substantial. According to The New York Times’ account of the Vance letter, Washington wants the nuclear program on the agenda from the outset, while Tehran wants relief from economic and military pressure first.

The opening of Hormuz has a proposed timetable. The opening of negotiations still requires negotiations.

#Iran #Hormuz #NuclearTalks #Qatar

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸

Victory needs a scapegoat

Trump says the U.S. has already knocked out most of Iran’s military. He is also reportedly looking for someone to blame because the war has not ended.

“The only reason why I’m not finished with Iran is I want to be nice,” he told an Iowa rally Sunday. “I want to try and save all those lives if I can.” Then he added a qualification. “At some point we’re going to have to give them the hammer.”

Netanyahu wants that point to come immediately after Tuesday’s U.S. midterms, Axios reports, citing an Israeli and an American source. During their Saturday call, Trump argued for giving negotiations more time. The Israeli source called the conversation “tough,” and the American source called it “direct.” Trump publicly called it “very good.”

Privately, The Atlantic reports, Trump has been asking allies about Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. Both advised him on the war and offered optimistic early assessments. Sources close to Trump told the magazine he is focusing blame on those who promised a short, decisive campaign. The White House says he retains confidence in both men.

No renewed strike order has been announced. For now, Trump is offering voters three explanations at once. Victory has been achieved, the war is unfinished because he is merciful, and the failure to finish may belong to his advisers.

He ordered the war. Responsibility is the part still looking for a commander.

#Trump #Iran #Netanyahu #Midterms

📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events🇺🇸