As the U.S. midterm elections come to an end, Trump's advisors and allies are competing to influence his decisions, trying to determine whether he will end the war against Iran or reignite the conflict.
One faction, represented by Defense Secretary Hagel and Commander of the U.S. Central Command Braddock Cooper, supports the resumption of large-scale military operations.
Sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that since the election day, several hard-line external advisors have called Trump, expressing the view that his political legacy depends on whether he can force Iran to abandon its nuclear program. In this way, Trump could claim that...
Secretary of State Rubio and Treasury Secretary Beasden advocate for further tightening of sanctions and continuing to block Iran's trade.
On the other side, Presidential Envoy Witeckow and Vice President Wilson share similar positions. They hope that Trump will continue to support reaching an agreement through diplomatic means, thereby ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Wilson has always been skeptical about this war. On November 4th, after the results of the midterm elections were announced, he published a long statement on social media, bluntly attributing his defeat to the war against Iran.
"The true reason for our loss of the election is almost clear to everyone," Vance wrote, "the root of it all lies in this war. The president himself said so."
Other parties are also influencing the outcome of this war through their respective channels. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is still pushing for the United States to launch another strike.
Meanwhile, the allies of the Gulf states are even more skeptical. A Qatari official said on Friday that Qatar had taken steps to mediate at the last moment, trying to prevent the United States from launching another military operation and to reconcile the differences between the warring parties, in order to achieve the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of sanctions by the United States.
These negotiations indicate that Trump is at a critical decision point. This may determine the direction of his remaining presidency, but this time, he no longer has a united governing team, nor does he have a favorable political environment.
