(Bloomberg) – President Donald Trump has long argued to keep the US out of wars in the Middle East. When joining Israel’s offensive against Iran, he is giving a dramatic geopolitical turnaround.
After days of deliberation and contradictory messages, Trump launched an attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday, Reinforcing Israel’s efforts to destroy the Iranian nuclear program and dragging the US to a fierce regional conflict.
The bombings, which reached facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, occurred a few days after he suggested that It would wait up to two weeks to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.
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Speaking of the White House on Saturday night, Trump argued that Iran should be prevented from having an atomic bomb and said the US has fulfilled its goal of destroying its nuclear facilities. Trump also pressured Iran to return to the negotiating table, threatening more attacks if they do not reach an agreement – or retaliate against the US.
“This cannot continue. Either there will be peace or there will be a tragedy for Iran, Much greater than we have witnessed in the last eight days, ”the president said in his speech to the nation.
Although Trump has approved military actions in the past, this moment marks an important choice for a leader who ascended to power with an antiguera stance and was well received by US -tired voters in Iraq and Afghanistan. He hardened this posture in his 2024 campaign with attacks on the chaotic withdrawal of then -President Joe Biden from Afghanistan.
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He also avoided military actions at times – canceling an attack on Iran in 2019, planned as retaliation by the overthrow of an American drone, claiming that he did not consider him proportional.
In his second inaugural speech, Trump promised to measure success “not only for the battles we won, but also for the wars we ended – and perhaps the most important for the wars we never entered.”
And since taking office, Trump’s focus in the Middle East has been largely in agreements that attract US investments rather than military expansion. During a luxurious trip through the region in May, he proclaimed that he wants the country’s future to be “defined by commerce, not chaos.”
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The attacks further increased anxiety in the global economy after the scattered implementation of Trump’s global tariffs. About a fifth of the daily oil supply of the world goes through the Strait of Ormuz, which is between Iran and its Arab neighbors of the Gulf.
USA launched air strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities, says Trump
Global raw oil traders have been nervous. In an extreme scenario in which The Strait of Ormuz was closedOil could rise above $ 130 the barrel, affecting global growth and raising consumer prices, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Economics.
In the days preceding the attack, Trump and his advisers suggested that any action would be limited. Republicans emphasized this idea on Saturday night – before the president threatens new attacks.
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“This is not the beginning of a war forever,” said Senator Jim Risch, Idaho’s Republican and president of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. “There will be no American troops on Iranian soil. This was a precise and limited attack, necessary and, according to all reports, very successful.”
For Trump and many of his supporters, the hope is that this military action echoes the murder of an important Iranian general in 2020. After the US attack that killed q Soleimani, Trump emphasized that he did not want a broader war. An Iranian response did not result in casualties and the situation did not get worse.
Signs that Trump was becoming more open to the possibility of military action appeared last week, when he abruptly left the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada to deal with conflict in the Middle East.
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After months trying to convince Tehran to sign a nuclear deal, negotiations with special envoy Steve Witkoff had little progress and Israel launched their initial attack. Trump kept open the possibility of reopening discussions with his two -week ultimatum.
But on Friday, Trump ruled out negotiations between three European countries and Iran, which did not result in advances. And he said his patience with Tehran was almost exhausted.
The question now is what the Iranian answer will be and if the US can be dragged to a longer conflict. Congress members indicated that they could contest Trump’s authority to wage a unilateral war against Iran without its approval.
Deputy Ro Khanna, California’s Democrat who co-patronized legislation that would force a vote on any US war with Iran, raised this possibility on Saturday night in the X, saying that legislators should vote on the bill “to prevent the United States from being dragged to another endless war in the Middle East.”
A handful of Republicans also questioned the constitutionality of the measure. “This is not constitutional,” Kentucky Deputy Thomas Massie posted at X, who co -authoring the measure on war powers.
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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham
The US Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but the resolution on war powers allows the President to enter US forces into a conflict without a vote, provided that legislators are notified within 48 hours and engagement ends within 60 days unless legislators authorize the opposite.
The US engagement potential opened a breach this week among Trump supporters inside and outside the White House. Foreign policy advocates faced an attack as an opportunity to show strength and deny Iran a nuclear weapon, while the isolationists argued that the US should be out of the fight and focus on issues such as immigration.
“This was the right decision. The regime deserves,” wrote Senator Lindsey Graham, a republican of South Carolina and former defender of the Iran’s attack on Saturday night. Deputy Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican of Georgia, was on the other side, posting in X: “This is not our struggle. Peace is the answer.”
Trump was dragged into the fight, shocking with the personality of conservative Tucker Carlson, who asked the US to keep out of the conflict. On Wednesday, he minimized any problems, saying “my supporters are with me” and adding that Carlson “called and apologized another day because he thought he said things a little too strong.”
Trump’s longtime ally Steve Bannon said in his podcast on Saturday night that Trump will need to explain himself, but believes his base will remain loyal.
“There are a lot of magician (Make Make America Great Again) who are not happy with that,” he said. “I believe he will get the support of all the magician, but he needs to explain exactly and go through it.”
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