Trump is choosing between hitting Iran and diplomacy. What the media is writing
US President Donald Trump is considering launching strikes against Iran in support of Israel. At the same time, the White House is also discussing the possibility of continuing negotiations, which some conservative leaders insist on. For Washington, a new conflict in the Middle East could turn into a prolonged military campaign. What the media wrote on the sixth day of the escalation is in the Izvestia digest.
The Washington Post: Trump discusses bombing Iran
Trump is faced with the need to make one of the most important decisions, whether he should enter a war against Iran, which could draw Washington into a new Middle East conflict, but at the same time provides an opportunity to eliminate the enemy's nuclear program. In a series of social media posts on June 17, the president declared that the United States has "full and total control of the skies over Iran," warned Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khameini that he was an "easy target," and demanded "unconditional surrender."
The Washington Post
The harsh language came at a time of extreme weakness in Tehran, whose power is on the decline after a year of Israeli attacks on its allies and proxies in the Middle East. Trump has long maintained an aggressive approach towards Iran, although he has also campaigned for an end to global conflicts and as recently as last week continued to seek a new agreement to limit its nuclear program.
If Trump manages to get concessions from Iranian leaders in order to dismantle their nuclear program or destroy it by military force without provoking serious retaliation, he can be hailed as a president whose unpredictable approach to foreign policy is producing results. Mishandling the situation could draw Washington into a major conflict with dangerous and unpredictable consequences for U.S. citizens. And it could also lead to a nuclear Iran if the strikes fail and the government decides to develop nuclear weapons, which it has long stated it does not seek.
ABC News: The next 24-48 hours will be crucial for Iran and the United States
During Trump's meeting with his top advisers in the White House situation room, U.S. officials made it clear that the next 24 to 48 hours would be crucial. Either the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the Iran problem will be determined, or the president will resort to military action. Despite the obvious saber rattling, American negotiators continued to believe that Iran was in a weak position and could return to the negotiating table to accept a deal that would require it to completely abandon uranium enrichment.
ABC News
According to the officials, while Iran and Israel are exchanging mutual reproaches, the Iranian regime has demonstrated its willingness to resume negotiations with the United States, adding that the Trump administration is looking for more concrete commitments before retreating from the military path. If Iran returns to negotiations and agrees to stop enriching uranium, U.S. officials believe a high-level meeting led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and possibly Vice President Jay D. Vance will take place as early as this week.
This scenario will require Iran to act quickly. Trump has already admitted that his patience with the situation in the Middle East is running out. He is frustrated by the inability of a destabilized Iran to provide immediate answers to the administration, and also appears extremely reluctant to allow a situation to develop that gives the impression that Tehran has successfully exposed its military bluff.
CNN: The United States may be drawn into a new long war in the Middle East
Expectations are growing in Washington that Trump will soon heed Israel's calls and try to deliver a decisive blow to Iran's nuclear program using anti-bunker weapons that only the United States can provide. The president's rhetoric changed dramatically after the apparent success of the Israeli strike, which killed senior military leaders and nuclear scientists, as well as seriously undermined Iran's self-defense capabilities.
CNN
Trump could be on the verge of a huge gamble that would jeopardize his own political principles. His own scathing contempt for U.S. presidents who promoted regime change played a huge role in the former reality TV star's plunge into politics in 2015. If he goes to war on Iran, Trump will ignore the high-profile part of his MAGA movement. The America First president would become the interventionist he despised.
There is a loophole in Trump's isolationism. He has always insisted that Iran, given its threats to destroy Israel and its bitter enmity with the United States, will never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. Perhaps the hawks are right this time that a crushing, low-key U.S. military strike could destroy Iran's nuclear program. But the Iranian regime will almost certainly have to respond. Depending on the remaining military capabilities after the Israeli onslaught, it may attack US personnel and bases in the region. Trump will have to respond with a cycle of escalation with no clear end point.
Associated Press: MAGA movement splits on Iran issue
A split has emerged among Trump's most ardent supporters and conservatives in the field of national security over the conflict between Israel and Iran. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, journalist Tucker Carlson and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who have legions of devoted followers, remind audiences of Trump's promises to abandon foreign military intervention. On social media and on the airwaves, questions about Trump's position expose a crack in his position. Conservatives warn that a split could hinder progress on other priorities.
Associated Press
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said on Monday that if the United States gets involved in a war in the Middle East, Trump will begin to undermine his own political base built on cutting off foreign ties, limiting illegal immigration and reducing the trade deficit. "It's not just going to undermine the coalition," Bannon said on the Tucker Carlson show. "It will also interfere with what we are doing with the most important thing, which is the deportation of illegal immigrants to the United States."
Carlson's increasingly critical rhetoric against Trump has reached a new level, as a longtime supporter who led major rallies with Trump during the 2024 campaign suggested that Trump's position violated his promise to prevent the United States from being drawn into new international conflicts. The development of the situation around Iran is not the first time that Trump and some of his electorate have diverged in their views, and it is possible that the current tension is more a disagreement than a gap between the president and MAGA supporters.
The New York Times: Iran is preparing missiles for a possible US response
According to American officials who have reviewed intelligence reports, Iran has prepared missiles and other military equipment to attack American bases in the Middle East if the United States joins Israel's war against that country. If the US joins the Israeli campaign and strikes Fordo, a key Iranian nuclear facility, the Iranian-backed Houthis will almost certainly resume attacks on ships in the Red Sea, and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria will probably try to attack American bases there.
The New York Times
Other officials said that in the event of an attack, Iran could begin mining the Strait of Hormuz, which would block American warships in the Persian Gulf. The commanders have put American troops on high alert at military bases across the region, including the UAE, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. More than 40,000 United States troops are stationed in the Middle East.
Two Iranian officials have acknowledged that the country will attack American bases in the Middle East, starting with bases in Iraq, if the US joins Israel's war. Iran will also target any American bases located in Arab countries and taking part in the attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his European counterparts in telephone conversations that if the war expands, Israel and its main supporters will be to blame.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
