Donald Trump ignored several intelligence warnings about the potentially disastrous consequences of launching a war against Iran, according to a report.
Details of an Oval Office meeting in February, leaked to the Wall Street Journal, reveal that the president sought advice on whether an all-out attack to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and force regime change could work.
During the meeting, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Trump that a Middle East conflict would see Iran close the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route, cause oil and energy chaos across the world, and that killing Iran’s supreme leader would result in a replacement who would push harder for Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons.
Trump had also received similar warnings from top military leaders that a war on Iran would result in multiple deaths and a severe dwindling of U.S. munition stockpiles. Despite this, Trump joined Israel in launching an attack on Iran on Feb. 28, with each of the predictions surrounding the conflict coming true.
Trump started the deeply unpopular war believing that it could be resolved in a matter of weeks. Instead, the conflict has dragged on for nearly six months with no real end in sight.
“This was all predictable and predicted,” Eric Brewer, a deputy vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the Journal. “You can draw a straight line from the fact that the war was launched without any clear political objective to the mishandled diplomacy in trying to end it.”
Trump was reportedly buoyed at the very start of the conflict after one of its main objectives was achieved. During a Feb. 28 fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff informed the president that Israel had killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Trump wanted Ratcliffe and Witkoff to share the news with those at the fundraiser, prompting a round of applause. The 80-year-old president is then said to have “crossed his arms and puffed out his chest” while soaking in the praise, sources told the Journal.
However, the praise was short-lived. As the war dragged on, with the Strait of Hormuz closed, leaders from Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar contacted the White House urging an end to the war.
Several Republicans also warned Trump that the Middle East conflict, which has sent gas prices soaring and resulted in the deaths of 18 U.S. servicemembers, could severely damage the GOP’s chances in the midterms.
Officials revealed that Trump was privately furious at the backlash and asked his aides why Iran wasn’t folding as the bombardment of the country continued.
Even a friend of Trump urged the president to end the war. Trump then asked if he should “bomb the s--t out of Iran” in order to bring an end to the conflict, the Journal reported.
The friend advised that this would not be a good idea and would only pull the U.S. further into another forever war in the Middle East.
The White House defended the war in Iran as a success, stating that Trump has severely damaged Iran’s military and nuclear facilities and is preparing to target Tehran’s economy with a naval blockade and sanctions.
“He will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement. “It would be wise for Iran to reach a deal. Otherwise, they know what could happen.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for further comment.
