Despite assuring voters about his vision rooted in foreign policy restraint, Donald Trump has spent the last year launching military strikes in Venezuela, Yemen, Syria, Nigeria and Somalia, as well as dozens of attacks against civilian boats in international waters.
And then, of course, there’s Iran.
Last summer, the American president also launched preemptive military strikes on targets in Iran, and according to the White House, the operation “totally obliterated” Tehran’s unclear program.
Eight months later, there are ongoing talks between U.S. and Iranian officials about the future of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, though Trump’s Plan B isn’t exactly subtle. NBC News reported late last week:
The USS Ford Carrier Strike Group has been notified that they are leaving the Caribbean and headed to the Middle East, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the decision.
The Ford will join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group already in the region. The decision comes as tensions with Iran remain high.
Note, the ships were headed to Europe last fall before Trump redirected them ahead of the operation in Venezuela, only to redirect them again to the Middle East ahead of a possible new offensive in Iran, which would risk touching off a new crisis in the region.
To date, there’s been no robust public conversation in the United States about a looming U.S. military confrontation with Iran, and it’s likely that many Americans aren’t fully aware of why this is happening.
Indeed, Trump, who had Iran’s nuclear program stifled before abandoning an effective international program in his first term, was asked a question on Friday that I’ve been eager to hear him answer.
“You said … that the Iranian nuclear sites have been totally obliterated,” a reporter reminded the president. “What’s left to go after?”
Trump replied, “You could get whatever the dust is down there.”
That was a difficult answer to take seriously, though it was probably less embarrassing than the truth: The U.S. military strikes in June did great damage, but the “totally obliterated” claims were wildly overstated, despite the Republican administration’s constant repetition.
As part of the same brief Q&A, Trump added that he believes regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen.”
Stepping back, the message the American president is delivering to Tehran could be better. In effect, Trump is telling Iranian leaders, “Yes, I’m the one who allowed your nuclear program to flourish by abandoning a good policy for reasons I’ve been unable to explain. And yes, I’ve already lied about obliterating your nuclear capabilities. But I’m hoping we can work out a new deal now, and if you disagree, I’ll start bombing you, and even if you do agree, my hope is to bring down your government anyway.”
A master of diplomacy he is not. Watch this space.
