Divisions have appeared among U.S. President Donald Trump’s allies both inside and outside the U.S. over whether to bomb Iran. The reasons some are advising caution are mainly pragmatic. Some of Trump’s domestic political supporters are warning Trump against a “dangerous entanglement in another overseas conflict” and warning of the domestic costs of abandoning the “America First” foreign policy on which Trump campaigned, reported the Washington Post on Jan. 13. One of those quoted on this is Steve Bannon, who said on Jan. 12, “We don’t care about making Iran great again.” With “Israel and the United States in there, you’re just going to prolong the problem.”
On the military side, arguments against a strike include the danger of an accident or failure as the U.S. military and spy services attempt more high-risk operations, as well as the possibility that the fall of the Iranian government could lead to a more militant regime or another failed state in the Middle East, former officials and people close to the White House told the Post.
There are also voices of caution coming from Israel and Arab countries, but for different reasons. According to an NBC News report, Israeli and Arab officials have told the Trump administration in recent days that they believe the Iranian regime may not yet be weakened to the point at which U.S. military strikes would be the decisive blow that topples it.
