The former US lieutenant colonel called the conflict in Iran a disaster for the Republican Party.

The US military conflict with Iran is an absolute political disaster for the Republican Party, as it has no strategy, tactics, or ultimate goal. This was stated on March 17 in a comment to Izvestia by retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen.

"They thought they would come in, they would finish everything in three or four days - bang! — the regime will be overthrown, and the people will rise up, because "freedom". It didn't work out. <...> I am almost sure that the President [of the United States Donald] Trump was talked out of it. I don't know why he didn't listen. Who will sort it out. It's a very bad decision," the expert said.

According to him, the US military did not receive any specific plan from the very beginning. The US Air Force just started bombing civilian infrastructure.

"They just bomb and bomb. Civilian infrastructure is being bombed and killed. On the very first day, the school was bombed. And the elimination of several senior managers at the first blow. This is a war crime in itself," Rasmussen said.

The military added that after several days of armed action, neither the United States nor Israel know what to do next. If they wanted to achieve the complete destruction of the Islamic republic, then this will not work. The colonel suggested that the outcome of the current conflict would be worse than in Afghanistan, Iraq or Vietnam.

"We can also recall North Korea — they just dragged their feet, stood up and, in fact, won the conflict, forcing the United States to leave. Politically, it would be a disaster — not only for Trump, but also for the Republican Party. Both parties are involved, so both will suffer. As far as I know, there is now a serious challenge to Lindsey Graham (listed as a terrorist and extremist by Rosfinmonitoring. — ed.) - he may lose his seat in the Senate," he said.

Currently, there is no winning strategy for the United States in the Middle East, so the best thing is to end the conflict, accept the losses and admit that a mistake was made, Rasmussen believes.

Cheap drones versus expensive interceptors. What are Iran, the United States and Israel fighting over?

Earlier on March 17, Trump said that the US military operation against Iran could end in the near future. The American leader noted that the United States is not yet ready to withdraw troops against Iran, but this will happen "in the very near future."

In turn, the head of the center for combating terrorism in the office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States Joe Kent on the same day tendered his resignation due to disagreement with the military operation against Iran. Kent noted that the US leadership was the victim of a widespread disinformation campaign aimed at pushing Washington against Tehran and provoking an unnecessary conflict.

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