As much as I think Trump is an ignorant and dangerous President, both for our democracy and for international peace and order, in this case, where he nixed an attack on Iran - for whatever reason - I applaud him.
He has some very strong hard-liners in his staff and cabinet, and the GOP is usually very bellicose anyway. What is normally a very bad and even dangerous trait - to ignore the advice of his staff - in this case had a good result. All presidents, Democratic and Republican, have a tendency to listen to the Generals with too much deference, with often disastrous results. Trump's sociopathic egocentricity allowed him to defy the hawks in this case.
Trump's instincts told him not to pull the trigger. It was the correct decision. He will get a better result by continuing the sanctions.( this tactic employed by Obama is what brought Iran to the bargaining table in order to get the Iran deal). I'm glad he takes his advice from tucker Carlson and not John Bolton.
1
Watching Trump's televised responses, he clearly enjoys the attention. In fact, I think he enjoys the attention so much that he drops vague and provocative one-liners like "you'll see", and "they'll be sorry", as if an A-bomb was being dropped. This isn't a reality show Donald. You're not in Kansas any more.
2
For once I like the reasoning coming from this otherwise disastrous White House: Disproportionate indeed to have 150 deaths for a 240 million$ unmanned drone that was shot down. Wish we had similar guidance on other decisions such as the sale of weapons to the Saudis for the war in Yemen, the affordable care act in the US to offer insurance coverage so people don’t go bankrupt after an illness etc...Too much to ask for...
2
Second thoughts? Close the Straits, spike oil to $150/bbl, crash the world economy, including the US, lose the election, go to jail. DT isn’t always irrational.
Mrs. Tabrizi said: "Those inside Iran who were pushing for more resistance, more retaliation will say, ‘See? We were right! Trump does not want war. Let’s push the situation.” This thinking is dangerous. Suppose as some of us suspect the abandonment of the attack was more a reaction of Trump's fear that it would hurt his re-election chances more than a concern for 150 lives. His calculation that the American people would not be behind this war. Have those inside Iran who want more resistance and retaliation taken into consideration how these actions might affect the American mindset? Seems to me that it would put more Americans on board with military retaliation. If more votes will be gotten with U.S. military action than without it, there is no doubt this will affect any future reactions by the president. If you are going to "poke the bear" please take into consideration the bear's motivations.
2
Yet another woman has come forward with a credible account of a physical attack by trump and it is buried in the news cycle of another trump-caused event designed to suck the air out of the news.
5
To remind us all, in August of 1953 USA - CIA - successfully undermined and overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran and re-installed the Shah. Doing so at the request of the British, who had Iran on a lease for their oil for ~ 99 years for ~ 30 cents on the dollar.
Important in this story is that the Iranian government of 1953 was democratically elected. USA did not respect that and still is rather quiet about this behavior.
That would be a place to begin talking with Iran. Please see "A the Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer.
3
Read most of the comments here: most are seething, critical and cynical. None offer any meaningful solutions or proposals. Not a great fan of our current administration but perhaps, just perhaps, this was another near-Sarajevo moment. Are we really ready to deal with either Iran and N. Korea militarily? Is the wold really arrayed in our favor, no matter what arguments we put forth on their "aggressiveness"? Is there not an argument for another course of action, another strategy, another out-of-the-box solution, breaking with our prior stereo-typed thinking? Let's get creative here - if Mr. T is clueless, and his advisors are misguided, then let's help them out somehow, please...
1
Once again Trump does what he said he would do, stay out of Middle East wars. Hope it lasts.
2
It is shameful and dangerous that so many of the public are so ready for war, like children are ready to go for a ride in the car to some place new. All enthusiasm. Wars are grim and they have grim results and grim consequences for others. Trump has the world destabilized already, uneasy and uncertain of the future. What is needed here is a calm, thoughtful response with no eagerness to slaughter people. The Trump hangers on have only blood thirst and gall. God help the US. They play with matches in a sea of gasoline. Trump thinks it would help his election and stop the Mueller report findings from going anywhere. No one holds him back. It is a crazy time.
5
The current status quo is perfectly acceptable to the US. It's the Iranian's who have to break current state due the impact the sanctions are having on them. Iran needs to escalate to change the situation. The best approach here for the US is patience. A strike over a drone, especially one that causes a large death toll in Iran, could help break out of their diplomatic isolation.
Keep up the sanctions and be patient.
2
OK kids, the time has arrived. It's time for an intervention. Even you three, plus Tiffany, must realize there is something wrong with your father. Sorry, but some of us have gone thru it, and it's not easy, but it's for the best. Or in your case, it might preserve the life style you've grown accustomed to. Tough decision, but whether you decide to save the world or protect your future incomes, I'm OK with either.
4
There is large population of Persians living in the U.S., many of whom came here after the Iranian revolution in '79. Many of them and their children whom were born here frequently travel back to Iran to visit relatives.
My concern is, will some of them wind up being arrested, accused of espionage, and put on trial, further increasing tensions.
1
OK The question got asked, "How many will be killed?" - But, (after), planes are in the air, ships are on the way. The question is not asked, before, but, is asked, after.
1
Trump withdrew from the treaty. He decided it wasn't good enough. Iran was willing to follow the guidelines. But Trump's vanity or lack of understanding about diplomacy, or his desire to look decisive and avoid doing anything Obama did led to our withdrawal. Therefore Trump is to blame for most of what's happening now.
Kennedy, Obama, and other presidents learned from their mistakes. Trump seems to be incapable of learning how to be tactful at home and abroad. If there's anything he's proven to the entire international community it's that he's churlish, volatile, and completely unreliable when it comes to being an ally, being reasonable, or being an adult.
We need the adults to step up and override Trump. He is not competent and is constantly grandstanding. The Middle East is volatile enough without Trump contributing to the unrest. Perhaps we should lock him out of the White House.
6/21/2019 9:06pm
3
The pattern is getting tedious: start a crisis, threaten dastardly action, ask for a personal meeting, then cave, trying to demonstrate both toughness and peaceful intentions. Trump's base may be fooled, but I doubt if other nations, whether previously friendly or adversarial, take Trump seriously.
6
I never thought I'd see the day when a military coup seemed like a good idea, but that day has finally arrived.
3
Given what has happened since Trump pulled the US out of the nuclear accord with Iran, if the US goes to war against Iran, it will be seen as the aggressor and history will judge its actions harshly. Its powerful military will be acting as mercenaries for Israel, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The American taxpayers will be paying the cost of war and it will be staggering. The sad and sobering thought is that Trump and his enablers are not acting in the US national interests but could be acting for the monetary payoff and business opportunities after Trump leaves office.
12
Let's keep this in mind. Trump in every single regard is unfit to be the President. Again, Trump in every single regard is unfit to be President.
That should be the single focus and his removal from office should have happened years ago.
This is what the majority of Americans want. That's why he lost the popular vote by millions to begin with.
5
July 3 ,1988. The USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air flight 655 , a commercial Airbus 300,over Iranian waters,killing 290 people including 66 kids. Ever wonder why they don’t love us?
9
Hi Donald. You could have had it all. But it's never too late. In your last life you would have never treated our honest and hard working immigrant families like you do. You know that. You are a Democrat in your heart. You know you hated the Iraq war just as much as most of us did. And all of those crazy Republican issues? never believed in them. deep down you are really an American who cares about this country I hope. maybe you should just be you for a change. it's never too late to show your true self. At least do it for. your Mom. O.k..just be the real you. Open up that big heart of yours.
1
I thought one of Iran’s goals was to keep the Europeans on its side relative to the nuclear deal and sanctions. It would seem like taking aggressive unilateral action against the United States, such as the downing of the drone, would be counterproductive in that regard.
1
Trump is winning this one as Iran is showing their desperation by picking a shooting war with the USA, that they know they can't win. Patience, their economy is cooked, they know it and the Mullahs need a war to hold power. Soon they will unravel from within.
1
If the passenger-jet sized, $100 mil dollar Global Hawk was at all times in international waters and was shot down unprovoked then Trump has a duty as commander-in-chief to respond somehow. If not militarily, then announce some new sanction!
It would have better if Trump made no comments and let a spokesperson say we are considering all options and will respond at a place and time of our choosing.
1
In a 2012 tweet storm, Trump accused President Obama—without a shred of evidence—of planning an attack on Iran to ensure his re-election. In 2013 he again went on theTwitter warpath to accuse Obama of planning to attack Iran, this time to prove how tough he was.
Trump’s hypocrisy is mind-blowing in its shamelessness. Does he not know that tweets are forever? Or does he think, perhaps rightly, that his base neither reads nor remembers anything he writes or says so he is free play the Iran card for exactly the reasons he falsely attributed to Obama?
7
Trump’s complete lack of understanding or appreciation of the dynamics that drive international affairs has finally caught up with him, His 2015 withdrawal of the Iran Nuclear Agreement set him up for this current confusing and dangerous situation,
Currently, he Is flying blind on matured, seasoned foreign affairs advice and decision making. He has no Secretary of Defense; the depth of experienced leadership resides with Pompeo and Bolton who have no experience in rational-decision making required mitigate this current Iran crisis.
Essentially, Trump has hit a wall; his fumbling in 2015, plus his adamant refusal to build a seasoned and experienced diplomates and State Department foreign service officers has finally returned to haunt him. He will find now that guff and bluster will not work now on this conflict level as Commander In Chief.
Now, all of his decisions and words carry consequences that involve the world and fate; he has never had to face the reality that one misstep will carry no opportunity for a second chance, only war.
Pompano and Bolton could do Trump a real favor by explaining to him what happened in August of 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin!
5
It is a dangerous and frightening thing when an entire national administration is so thoroughly infected with mendacity that the general public comes to believe that, if its government says something, then it must by definition be a lie.
President Trump, for example, is incapable of telling the truth (10,000 lies and counting). You know he's lying by seeing that his lips move. When a truly grave crisis strikes -- political, military, economic, sociological or natural -- effective management absolutely requires an overall trust in the national government.
While recognizing the destabilizing predilection of the Iranian State, I am readier to believe Iran than my own United States of America. That might cast doubt on my patriotism but I think it casts far more doubt on the integrity of my government. In our history, there have been too many catastrophic wars of choice waged on the gravy train of lies.
I am convinced that the growing escalation toward an unrecallable military strike against Iran represents yet another pack of lies promoted by cowards who boldly act to send other people and their children into harm's way.
9
The lies and manipulation that led to the Iraq War was criminal. The crimes were war crimes, but also domestic crimes against the American people. The crimes did vast damage. The dead are beyond counting, it ruined an entire country, wrecked millions of lives beyond those killed, and wasted trillions of dollars needed here.
My first priority now is that the crimes are not repeated. Many of the same criminals are back, and doing it again.
I am watching very closely that the NYT itself does not repeat its shameful performance before the Iraq War. This article is borderline. It seems to be reported mostly from the nations that openly seek war, and quotes hawks but not others. It does not discuss options other than the views of hawks: Iran must surrender or there must be war.
There must be a lot more to report, and it is not here. That contributes to another war.
7
It can't be because women and children would have been inconvenienced. Trump does that every day here at home.
4
Just before Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire he sought the advice of Cus D'Amato, who told him, "Foreman is a bully. Your first punches have to show bad intentions". Everyone thought Foreman might actually kill Ali in the ring, so when he came out and hit Foreman with 3 straight right hands in the opening minute of the fight it was meant to show complete disrespect. That was just a prize fight. When Trump says emptily and repeatedly "we'll see how it turns out", well, cover up.
1
I wish we could get rid of phrases like, "Some See." I imagine a headline like, "Trump Clueless on Iran Strike."
6
Trump now expects the Nobel Prize for peace because he started to have a temper tantrum and then called it off ? Tomorrow morning's tweet-from-the-executive-bathroom will undoubtedly be a massive blast of self-congratulatory blather, and his sycophants will dutifully line up to praise Caesar, not to bury him. What a completely despicable bunch our "leaders" are. Looking forward to - and hoping that we are still alive on - November 3, 2020.
4
Republicans will happily support a war if trump tells them to.
3
The Art of the Blink.
3
Bolton/Pompeo/Trump are clearly ginning up pretexts for attacking Iran. At the same time, why anyone believes Trump ordered an attack then called it off is beyond me. It's just another Trump lie. He never issued the initial attack order to begin with. This is all part of his "winning" negotiating strategy (and, by "winning," I mean a juvenile, ignorant, chaotic, and abysmal failure).
4
It is better to have peace than war. In war nobody ever wins, not even the winner. We as a nation should not have broken our bond to Iran despite how bad it was. This will come back from our enemies to use as propaganda, that America breaks it's word. Collateral damage perhaps nonetheless we need to engage in meaning full negotiations with Iran and Europe who has a stake in it.
2
Trump waffled in his response. He appears confused and to have no purpose in what he is doing. He seems to not want a shooting war, but has done everything to start one with Iran for the past year. Iran will not give in easily to economic pressure. They will not allow the United States to wear them thin. I think Mr Trump has stumbled into his own trap and has no way out.
57
“What the administration should be pressing for is for its maximum pressure campaign to run its course — that is the worst-case scenario for the Iranian regime.”
And for the US. Further destabilization of the Iranian economy will lead to what? Destabilization of the regime will lead to what? Another Iraq? Vietnam? Syria? Afghanistan? Warfare - economic or military - has not worked in the past ever. And some of the same clowns who pulled strings for the Iraq war are again in charge.
US citizens and voters need to recognize that the neo-cons will -never- be satisfied. There will always be another "what-about" condition to lay on the table that will keep any agreement from being reached. As if Iran can trust Trump and the (GOP-led) Senate to abide by any agreement longer than it takes the ink to dry.
10
@Steve
Further destabilization of the Iranian regime may eventually result in liberty.
You know, something Dems and so-called ‘progressives’ used to be in favor of.
@ EGD Ah, yes. Just like the liberty that ISIS enjoyed in a Saddam-free Iraq.
1
The Gulf of Tonkin. The shadow actors are doing all they can to ignite the war. Ships mined. Drone downed.
How long is this going to take !?
5
Funny how most of the articles on Iran's supposed actions do not allow reader comments. The few that have seem to express a great deal of skepticism with allegations of a 'false flag' aspect to some of these attacks.
Since PNAC issued its list of the 12 countries that the US should push for regime change in, we have seen a never ending push for war with Iran (despite horrid results with regime change in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya.....)
The US ousted an elected government in Iran in 1953 (benefitting western oil companies). When the despotic shah installed by the west was overthrown, the US sponsored Iraq in a decade long war with Iran that killed millions....... seems like Iran has been rather restrained.
I wonder how the Middle East would have turned out if the western powers had allowed those living there to determine their own future after WWI........ I wonder how things would have been if there was no oil in the Middle East.
8
Make no mistake. This was not strategic on Trump’s part. He has never been strategic. He doesn’t have any policies either. This was a fly by the seat of your unflattering pants kind of deal.
He’s a flake. He’s impulsive. He’s explosive. He’s ignorant. He thinks some drones are manned, for goodness sake! Nobody knows what he’s going to do next and he doesn’t know either. This is what makes him so very very dangerous. And don’t forget he has the nuclear codes!
He IS a master of distraction. The closer the Democrats get to revealing Trump for who he really is, the closer we’ll come to war. This is frightening.
17
Donald Trump is a classic 4th grade bully. Verbal threats, attempts at intimidation, but ultimately caves. Then spins a false narrative that he is the rescuer, the savior. "I alone can fix it" arrogance. He is the Boy that cried Wolf. While I'm relieved he caved and turned his back on Messrs Pompeo and Bolton this time, his lack of consistency threatens us all.
11
The issue is not ambiguity, it is idiocy, buffoonery, and the overall keystone coppification of American foreign policy. Those things are on crystal clear display for all the world to see.
9
Some see ambiguity. Every one sees stupid.
15
All I see is the same thing I've been seeing for 30 months: a terribly weak, capricious and mendacious president. While I am opposed to the abandonment of the JCPOA and opposed to an unbounded military response or unrestricted war with Iran, Trump, and the US, would have been far better served by either simply absorbing the loss of the UAV without batting an eye and maintaining the economic sanctions and the posture of resilience on the one hand or knocking out the SAM missile complex(es) and related installations that menace the airspace in the region even if it meant hundreds of Iranian casualties. The path he chose (or should we say the explanation he chose for doing nothing) is of course ridiculous on its face and it also subjects him and us to charges of inconstancy of resolve and indecisiveness.
10
Surely there's good folks on both side here, folks
5
In an excellent television show on the Holocaust, the wife of a Jewish doctor in Berlin (after Hitler came to power) said to her husband, who was contemplating leaving while they still could, that she could not believe such evil of the nation of Bach and Beethoven. Her husband answered, yes, but unfortunately, neither of them were presently in office. By the way, they didn't make it out in time.
Okay, sorry to make you feel badly, but the attitude of the public isn't as important as that of the people in power. When the people of Iran or North Korea demand that resources be spent on them and their kids, not nuclear weaponry or the support of terrorism, or just keeping the elite in power, we can talk about good people on both sides.
Iran is desperate. 40% unemployment among college graduates is the best prescription for social unrest I can imagine. They told all their women to go have babies after the fall of the Shah, and they responded enthusiastically; they now do not have nearly the resources to provide a decent life for their youthful population. They are also decent engineers; that missile that shot down our drone was quite capable. No particular reason it couldn't have shot down a commercial airliner. Their determination to have nuclear weaponry to put on those missiles (or sail a dirty bomb into a port) is, from this viewpoint, perfectly understandable; in the meantime, they are trying to establish dominence from Yemen to the Mediterranean, with senile dreams of reestablishing the Persian Empire. So you can confront them now, or confront them later when it will be much more dangerous; if you care about your nation, if you care about minimizing the misery of the Middle East, keep on avoiding reality.
@Mary I'd rather the intelligent and cultured Iranians have hegemony over the Middle East than Saudia Arabia. We see the barbarism of the House of Saud.
1
@Mary I know this is a complicated and complex situation. But do you think that bombing them and start a massive war is going to help? Killing most of those people you say are desperate for work? Surely there must be better ways to approach it. And I don't think Trump's main goal of unraveling everything Obama did in concert with our allies is a reasonable approach. We have a madman in the White House who does not seem to understand the complexity of the problem in the Middle East.
3
What a feeble excuse Trump gave about pulling back his strike. Actually, what stopped Trump from striking Iran now is that it isn't close enough to November 2020. Believe me, this is when we will see a first strike by the U.S., and I doubt it will be "proportionate". And if the past three years have taught us anything, he doesn't care how badly he hurts the country. Any aggression by the U.S. will be met with unanimous international condemnation (except for Israel, perhaps), further eroding our nation's standing. We will be very much alone.
And Trump has a good reason to use Iran as a run-up to 2020. He desperately wants to stay out of prison, and a war would propel him into a second term. Or, even better for him, he'll use the wholly unprovoked war he starts to claim that a "national emergency" requires that he cancel the election.
Either way, Trump doesn't care that the only result of such a war will be thousands of deaths of our young service men and women, tens of thousands of deaths of Iranian citizens, and a complete demolition of whatever little respect and international standing the U.S. still has.
Trump's voters are in lockstep with him, because any time he kills brown skinned people while consolidating absolute power is a win for them.
But from Trump's reign onward, our nation will be known as a willfully ignorant, racist backwater of a country that was once a beacon for human rights and a respected world leader. Thanks to Trump voters, those days are over.
9
@Kyle Reese Yikes, you are so right. And it is scary to admit to this reality. I am sure that the likes of Lindsay Graham are fully on board with a nice little war. Now that his buddy McCain is gone, he needs to carry on the "good fight." There is no war that he and McCain did not like. So with these kinds of warmongers on board, what is going to hold Trump back? I know, I know, the answer is scary.
1
The reality show president faces reality.
13
@Phyliss, I am not fooled either. Today for the second tme in 2 weeks Trump is slated to have interviews on main stream TV. Meet The Press on this sunday. Battering abusing, and hammering the press as the enemy of the people but now he wants air time to waft Rose perfume and try to cover over the stench of this swamp. You are right. Pathological liars dont change their spots. Trump tweeted years ago that Obama would start war with Iran inorder to get elected for his 2nd term. Wow, he was speaking of himself.
7
He gives peace a chance and what does he get for it? Roundly criticized by the usual crowd. If he walked on water you’d say he doesn’t know how to swim.
This peace may be fleeting. It could all go to heck. But for once he does the right thing, giving Iran’s leaders a chance to de-escalate while able to save face at home, and he still gets called everything nasty that your readership can dream up.
5
@A Contributer
We had a treaty with Iran. They’ve never been our best buddies, but it was Trump who broke that treaty, not Iran.
Predictably, chaos followed.
While temporarily relieved, no, we are not feeling grateful.
3
@A Contributor You must have missed the part where Trump reneged on the nuclear agreement.
2
@ A Contributor My grandfather was fond of the expression, "even a blind pig finds an acorn sometimes." Don't hurt yourself patting him on the back. He stumbled into doing the right thing.
Trump is over his head...he's confused. How much more can we take?
16
I read all the comments......
In the the end, they don't matter
I am telling you this man is Dangerous
He was most likely stopped by McConnell
Not a general, not his conscience
We are in Serious Leadership Trouble
Impeach, Impeach, Impeach
This is my march to save US!
15
Glad my Rep, Jan Schakowsky, has jumped on the impeachment train.
1
This whole thing goes to prove that Trump is an incompetent leader. His chest-thumping with bombastic language, rushing to decisions, and then foolishly back-tracking indicates that he lacks the maturity needed to be an effective commander-in-chief. He did the same thing in the case of North Korea. Funny that this man ridiculed and laughed at Obama for threatening Syria and failing to carry-out that threat!
45
Commander Magoo finds the big red button and thinks it’s the door bell.
8
“Some see a dangerous ambiguity”, you Think? One the on hand, Trump is being handled by foreign lobbyists like AIPAC, on the other hand, he’s trying to survive from going to jail. How to distract?
4
If Trumpsters ever thought their hero was going to be tough on foreign policy, let this serve as the cold, hard, slap in the face they've had coming to them since his inauguration.
They voted for an imbecile in an empty suit; it's a wonder he hasn't sliced off his own head from all this sabre-rattling.
6
Who is going to police "the world's policeman"?
5
Madman theory is working.
3
How does his head not explode from the cognitive dissonance?
4
@BuffCrone He is unaware he is inflicted.
1
Let me get this straight: We attack Iraq based upon a bunch of lies and remove one of the counter forces to Iran. We bully Iran and prevent them from selling oil to other countries and then act so surprised when they retaliate for our acts of economic aggression. Iran is a troublemaker in its neighborhood but not in our neighborhood. The reason the Chinese have modern infrastructure is they don’t waste their money meddling around the world. The Trump Administration’s actions caused the Iran retaliation that just dumped $100M dollar drone into the Strait of Hormuz. My tax dollars. Money we could spend at home on the homeless, prescription drugs, and infrastructure. Congress should strangle the spending of this administration; instead we fuel the military war machine and fuel deficit increases. So sad. The democrats look like weak fools lately and the republicans are hypocrites who only care about holding on to power. Meanwhile we are all held hostage by the moron in the White House. Thank you Rex for the moniker. It fits perfectly.
7
This fiasco aside, it has become abundantly clear there is something seriously wrong with this man's functioning. His use of language is simplistic, repetitive and sometimes nonsensical. He lacks the capacity to reflect, weigh the multiple options comprising problem solving, acts impulsively then recants or changes his course of thinking and is unable to ultimately learn from his actions. To wit: bluster, threats and then backing off with a confusing (conciliatory?) message. Not very reassuring, in fact very concerning, but all too predictable pattern the way he confronts problematic situations, currently as well as in the past.
7
Does anybody actually believe Trump had a "Jack Ryan" moment ten minutes before the strike. Casualty limitation would have been WH decision prior to strike planning. It's also done in every strike package in the interest of not dropping ordnance on hospitals, orphanages or foreign embassies.
So Trump's and his team are either incompetent or Trump's lying for the cameras.
Doubt either choice makes y'all feel comfortable.
61
Trump does not do ambiguity. He does chaos and incoherence.
15
Why does Trump get praise for backing down from a show of force initiated by himself? That's like someone planning to rob a bank with henchmen, guns, and masks ready, only to decide in the parking lot it's not a good idea. And such a person should be lavished with praise for showing restraint for a situation they themselves created?
80
Increasingly, it appears that our President lied about what happened yesterday. There should be immediate congressional hearings, even if closed, on what occurred yesterday because the lives of our sons and daughters are at stake. If he lied about the chronology of what occurred, Congress needs to find out and the American people need to know it.
18
In the photograph. we see Trump, Pompeo, Bolton, Huckabee and Kushner apparently making plans for the Iranian situation. I can't imagine a group having less experience or more prejudice. Why not bring in Ivanka ? see what she thinks . Or how about Netanyahu ? He sure had reliable information on Saddam Hussein!
The problem is that nobody with a clear head can work around Trump. Experienced people like Kelley, Tillerson or Mattis just throw up their hands and walk away. Huckabee's departure only proves that Trump's insufferable and juvenile personality overshadows any ideology they might share.
The Iranian leaders know this and they have a grudge. They also are capable of forethought , and are going to make this embarrassing and very expensive--And , Who do we have on our side ???
22
I see no ambiguity at all. Just an impulse guided foreign policy, motivated by Trump’s preoccupation with getting re elected.
5
Ok are we sure - I mean positive DJT doesn’t drink?
I cannot think of another reason to be so disoriented and nonsensical. It may actually explain a lot.
3
"..his gravest threat yet or a sign of capitulation". Seriously, does anyone in the US or in the world think Trump knows what he is doing to even contemplate this thought process? That is a rhetorical question.
1
The photo accompanying this article depicts the brain trust running this inbred circus; Pompeo, Bolton, Sanders, Kushner(maybe), Trump. Somehow Ivanka missed the photo-op. To think this clown pack has to come up with a timely, coherent, intelligent, and informed Iranian policy (on the fly) is beyond my expectation. I can only hope the spineless nature of Trump pays off with continued lack of needless military action. No war is good war.
2
Trump-let: "To bomb or not to bomb? That is the question."
The Tweeter-in-Chief's ever-shifting decisions shows what he really is---in all aspects---since moving into the Oval Office: A man without a plan...
2
No ambiguity here, but the move of a shrewd politician. However, regardless of any decision he would have taken, the media would criticize it, as obviously demonstrated in this article. At least didn’t declare a “red line.”
1
@George Hawkeye Every President gets severe criticism. Don't have thin skin like our current President!
Your only problem is that he's snookered you into believing his scrutiny is extraordinary. Sorry, it is not. Take the scales from your eyes.
Why is it so hard to believe that Trump just got cold feet at the last minute? Let's be chary of overthinking this thing.
1
In Trump's everything, we all see a dangerous ambiguity.
You know we’re in deep trouble when the Iranians have more cred than the president of the United States
2
Oh, such a humane person, taking pity on 150 Iranians. Donald Trump.
Let’s get serious, this creepy president has demolished thousands of immigrant children for life maybe. And he could not give one care.
He is willing to take away healthcare from 30 million people, Americans, maybe more, with a potential demise of the ACA. Without health insurance may be a death penalty for many.
This man has dismantled natural resource safety - that includes drinking water. You think there won’t be deaths because of this?
The man cares about one family in the whole world - his. And for that we have paid dearly, right out of our pockets, like the servants of a king, and we will continue to pay until he is removed from the White House of the United States of America.
29
Only a complete fool wants to start a war here. Trump knows that most of his base and indeed the country a totally against this. He made the right move. The United States has caused this crisis. Iran has showed patience in light of these sanctions, threats, and countries like Israel & the Saudis actually killing some of their soldiers & citizens. Articles like this that seek to push the wrong buttons are not helping the situation. Stop trying to sell papers and tread this back & forth. This is not Iraq and the Times knows it.
3
Why is the media framing this story as if the United States is the innocent party in this affair? The NY Times is once again failing to inform the public of what is really going on. The US has taken some very aggressive actions towards Iran ever since the withdrawal from the Iran Deal. Never mind the continued characterization of Iran as some ever present bogeyman in the region without contextualizing the historical reasons that have caused the Iranians to view the US with suspicion and warranted hatred. What difference does all of this really make if the story is being told from a biased angle to make the US look just, when our hands are way bloodier than Irans? Trump's "fake news" labeling is truly warranted because the media has failed in its responsibility to report and inform.
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It is pretty clear that the bully in the white house is all hot air as far as Iran goes.
Does anyone believe this fairy tale that there was going to be bombing and he called it off at the last minute? I don't.
I'm sure Iranians aren't fooled either.
3
Once again, he's the hero of a tragedy of his own making. Our savior- hallelujah!
4
He got paid, this is little waffling/welching. They’ll ratchet up pressure as best they can. He’ll say, :”have patience, I will never disappoint you my friends..”
This is sick. We are embroiled in a crisis that we have actively participated in escalating. You can see the wheels turning in trump's brain, "what should I do to help my reelection in 2020?" This is just one giant manufactured melodrama where trump is the lead player. He appeals to his base by tearing up the treaty with Iran (because it was not about himself) and surrounding himself with hawks; then he plays last minute "hero" in the hopes of appealing to moderates. Foreign policy conducted by someone with malignant narcissism is sick.
8
Ambiguity. What a strange word for Incompetence.
20
Making these details public via tweet makes me wonder if, rather than being indecisive, he’s just playing good cop/bad cop after promising his base he’d get us out of Middle East conflicts. If money is involved, that’s where the real truth resides.
I don't know the answer to this, but historically speaking, people who have interpreted American hesitation to use force as a sign of weakness have been wrong.
1
“Iranian foes in neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel...argued that Mr. Trump’s willingness to come so close to military action...meant that Iran should expect an even more serious retaliation if it sought to lash out again...”
I trust that these countries also know that it is they, along with US targets, who will bear the brunt of the retaliation by Iran and its proxies for any military strikes from the Trump administration.
I wonder what be an acceptable body count for these countries would be before Iran’s ability to deal out destruction is completely neutralized.
1
@BruceFan
That would very much depend on whether the body count included any members of the ruling class, I imagine.
2
If the idea is to get countries to accept President Trump as the threat that leaves almost everything to chance, it might be working. But if President Trump is seen as that whimsical then the result might be that other countries don't bother with using carefully calibrated signals and with leaving a way to back down without losing face and with other diplomatic tools that simply don't have enough chance of being effective. Perhaps a few might just decide that if they are likely to get sanctioned or attacked no matter what they do, then if they do decide to act the act should be really big and the act might as well come sooner rather than later. That this might help in President Trumps reelection campaign might not matter that much to them.
3
Odd this piece with its headline about ambiguity did not cite Trump’s confusing answers to questions from journalists yesterday. When asked about what will come next, Trump went with his standard and equivocal “we’ll have to see” and then minutes later pivoted to “maybe it was a general who’s a loose cannon [that shot down the American drone]”. Indeed, Trump has neither the mindset, the mental fortitude, nor the savvy to deliver a coherent and courageous statement.
1
Trump's overriding characteristic is his unpredictability. I'll trust his instincts on this one.
1
Perhaps this time Pompeo does not have to address the Security Counsil also with exhibits, data, pictures and other cyber details of the weapons of mass destructions sites as his job has been made easy by Trump.
Its hard to be more provocative than making threats and then running away. This will inspire neither love nor fear.
This makes war more likely than either of diplomacy as suggested by Democrats, silence in the face of the Iranian provocations, or a limited counter strike that the Republicans advocated.
“Iranian foes in neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel...argued that Mr. Trump’s willingness to come so close to military action...meant that Iran should expect an even more serious retaliation if it sought to lash out again...”
I trust that these countries also know that it is they, along with US targets, who will bear the brunt of the retaliation by Iran and its proxies for any military strikes from the Trump administration.
I wonder what be an acceptable body count in these countries would be before Iran’s ability to deal out destruction is completely neutralized.
"But the stage for the current conflict was set last year when Mr. Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 deal ..." All of Mr. Trump's chest beating, demagoguery, and strutting is for short term gain with his base. No thought to all Americans, career American diplomats, American allies, etc., just his beloved 40% and Fox. Now the real effects are coming in, and he is in over his head. Confirming he was never qualified to be POTUS, and never will be.
It's sad to say but soon, if not already, the US will be completely out of the loop globally. None of us outside the US (I'm in Canada) trust or believe anything he says. Trump has no grounds to criticize Iran, he dropped out of the treaty and Iran is still following the rules laid out in the agreement..Thanks to sycophantic Republicans Trump has no checks or balances on his actions. Something has to be done to save your country.
2
Our USA President is a very confused man, with a long history of lying to the American people and our allies. He had used up and squandered every last iota of goodwill and capital - and no one trusts him. Especially the Iranians.
Let’s get real - Trump has been exceedingly lucky up to this moment for nearly 2 years. All the odd bellicose behaviors against North Korea and our friendly allies. The unilateral unraveling of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Hiring Pompeo and Bolton knowing full well their hawkish views.
Now Trump and the American people may blunder into a very dangerous and costly war. I’m tired and I’m afraid for my kids and all living things.
1
No one at the Times seems to be looking at the role our own "hot heads" or hardliners might well be playing in this theater production. Let's not forget the Gulf of Tonkin incident and resolution leading to the Vietnam war or the so-called weapons of mass destruction that were never found (Bolton was an active player then as well). It wouldn't take much to order US aircraft to play "chicken" with Iranian defenses. Do we trust Bolton and Pompeo? Do we think Trump is a stable genius at foreign diplomacy?
2
Iran has seen during the last few months a steady increase of US sanctions and other forms of aggression. It knew it had to do something or it would end up with starving children and falling bombs.
Of course Iran - just like any country - has hardliners. And America's hardliners love to quote them to justify their own thirst for blood. But they are a sideshow. All signs are that Iran's reactions are closely coordinated and carefully calibrated to be just enough to push back without escalating. Iran has no interest in a conflict and it knows that.
In the meantime MBZ, MBS and the Israeli's keep pushing for war. That is the core of the present conflict. In that context it is troubling to see headlines that suggest that not they but Iran and Trump are the problem.
3
Perhaps the New York Times can devote a major section of the
Sunday Magazine to the harsh reality of a war with Iran.
It seems quite clear that China will provide Iran with
whatever modern weapons Iran might need.
How do the "Experts" expect such a war to be carried out ?
What happens if an American destroyer is surrounded by
the motor boats the Iranians have and they play "cat and mouse" -
can the Commander of the Destroyer take what actions he thinks
fit to defend his crew and ship or must he get permission from
Washington and while he is waiting what if the Iranians place
their motorboats even closer to the destroyer and then attack
it all at once...sinking it ?
What would constitute victory over Iran ?
1
The present state is support for the myth that a business person is qualified to be President. It is a dubious claim at best and rarely vetted by an individual voter.
It is true that some business experience is transferable, however, the strategy and objectives for governance of a nation that must address geopolitical events and circumstances is not in the bones of a real estate developer/branding business resume, where basic business governance itself resulted in a plethora of litigation over basic transactions as well as bankruptcies.
Trump is merely zero sum as to strategy and that is evidenced through the Iran timeline. Governance and geopolitical leadership demands the game theory the Rand Corporation provided for military strategy once the factor of nuclear weapons negated actions the military could address.
Mr. President, get the book "Nonzero" Mr. President, Bill Clinton had all read it. And also note, John Nash, a mathematician, won a Noble Prize in economics as he proved with elegance how parties got to a deal on a used car.
Get busy, blood and treasure is on the line and this crisis is real time. We don't get to step away from this table, Iran is now tit for tat, read the book(s) NOW
@Dale C Korpi Trump read a BOOK? Sure.
I hate to sound so cynical, but I believe that electoral considerations played a much bigger role in the 11th hour decision to abort the US air strikes than any consideration of the loss of Iranian lives. From now until 2020, every decision Trump takes will not be based on whether it’s good for America, but only whether it will play with his supporters and the folks at Fox.
1
I'm inclined to see this about face as a strategic move meant to draw the Iranian hard-liners into committing a military act beyond the downing of an unmanned drone. One that causes death to Americans will then be used in a "I-told-you so" moment, and will be the ultimate excuse to unleash the dogs of war. It's so comforting to know that our Commander in Chief is such a brilliant man, a veteran, the smartest president ever. Just ask him. Heaven help us.
The reality is that the counter factual cannot be proven or refuted; and every view (of which there is no shortage) on whether or not Trump created ambiguity (and, if he did - whether the ambiguity helps or hurts - and it what ways etc) will fill up lots of media space. What will be displaced? That is my concern.
1
As part of their pre-strike briefing, perhaps the Fake President was told by top military officials that Iran could potentially retaliate by effectively stopping the shipping of oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, creating an energy crisis not critically affecting U.S. supplies in particular, but causing a worldwide economic downturn. If so, this is a huge "card" that Iran can always leverage against any future military actions Trump might consider taking. Iran, through a back channel, may have already clearly warned this Administration that this is something it would in fact do if Trump decides to launch any future strike against it. The last thing he wants to occur is economic upheaval as 2020 approaches.
22
@John Grillo this is, by far, the most cogent and credible analysis of Il Duce's thinking on military actions against Iran.
1
So, Donald Trump learned a new term: proportionality. I hope he understands the concept. If he doesn’t, we may not be so lucky when the next provocation comes around. If he does, then I pray there are always counterpoints to Bolton, Pompeo and Cotton in the room.
24
@Huge Grizzly Trump recently explained that he makes decisions from his gut. He also takes phone calls from Putin. Even if anyone in his orbit had sensible advice to order, he has said his gut knows more than the experts. We have a completely incompetent president.
1
@Huge Grizzly No, it was "proportionate."
Trump showed time and time again that he is not fit to serve. some can ask what that means exactly.
it means that whether he wants it or not, there will be a war with Iran.
18
The only silver lining in all of this is that sanity prevailed over the advice of hawks like Pompeo and the B-team. Hopefully this will be a trend.
Instead of cornering Iran in a box, if they relied on diplomacy, things would not have precipitated this way
20
@Jagdeer Haleed The alleged great dealmaker does not seem to have heard of "diplomacy."
There might not be a meaningful strategic explanation; no big picture re: policy. It is easy to see it as Trump just being Trump: Not paying attention or listening to details until the last moment.
Casualties are usually one of the first things identified and presented by military leaders to the president for any military strike as a central consideration about choosing that option. Reports say Trump asked about the number of likely deaths 10 minutes before attack, and hearing it would be 100, he cancelled the attack. Surely, he was told the casualty estimate earlier but ignored it.
66
He’s treating it like a reality show, in an attempt to save his hide. That is all.
4
@AnotherCitizen
You don't know that. I read it as Trump being restrained for once. I don't like him, but I agree with this.
Give the guy a break.
@Rick: No, I won't give Trump a break here. He started the whole mess by irrationally pulling out of a valid treaty that was working, he ordered an incredibly risky and deadly strike, then changed his mind at the last minute because he apparently woke up only then to the fact that he was about to kill a lot of people. He lies so much that none of us can really trust we're getting straight info from our own government in this matter. He hardly deserves praise for stumbling onto one right answer (for now) in the middle of flailing about without a plan or a clue.
2
Let’s not forget the role of oil in this imbroglio. For a century, the US has been paying an enormous geopolitical price to keep the Gulf of Hormuz open to feed our carbon addiction. The end of the fossil fuel economy cannot come soon enough.
104
@Fred
Actually we get very little oil from any tankers that go through the Gulf of Hormuz.
It's all about Israel.
5
I & my solar panels & electric car couldn't agree more with you, Fred!!!!
3
“Iranian foes in neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, on the other hand, argued that Mr. Trump’s willingness to come so close to military action….”
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel are ready to fight til the last US soldiers death.
The UAE, US and Israel are best friends with “bonesaw” bin Salmon who just ordered the cutting up live of a journalist. They also like that the Sunni Saudis are the largest financiers of Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups against their Shia enemy Iran. The Iran who has fought back against the Saudi funded terrorists in Iraq and Syria.
On the world stage Trump was looking bad - very bad as a war monger. People were even sympathizing with Iran against the bully Trump. The Trump regime is trying to recast his show to make him look like less a War monger. He is though in the pocket of the Military Industrial Complex, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, so time will tell.
69
@steve Saudi Arabia and the UAE will likely “pay” for American soldiers to fight their wars, as they’ve done in the past.
Israel is different. It doesn’t back down from a fight. It send it’s own soldiers.
2
The sight of Pompeo and Bolton there gives me a terrible feeling, like seeing a pair of flesh-eating zombies, but I understand they're more or less in charge of 'foreign relations' now. I don't see how they can think that starting a war would be good for either the Iranian people or the American people. We haven't made NK back down, either.
61
When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
2
@Lev
Not to mention, Sarah Sanders Huckabee from the Evangelical contingent.
4
There is no ambiguity, there is just Trump. A seething pile of spite, rage and nonsense. WE need to stop pretending there is method to his madness, that's just a ludicrous fallacy. When someone shows you who they are, a thousand times, believe them.
Seriously.
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