Trump’s erratic strategy on Iran raises questions about US war preparation
A confusing combination of actions by Trump deepens a sense that there is no clear strategy for the war
At war with Iran, US President Donald Trump has been cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. He has jumped from calls to secure the waterway through diplomatic means to lifting sanctions and now escalating to a direct threat against civilian infrastructure in the Islamic Republic.
Trump and his allies insist they were always prepared for Iran to block the strait, yet the Republican president’s erratic strategy has fuelled criticism that he is grasping for answers after going to war without a clear exit plan. On Saturday came his latest attempt, via an ultimatum to Iran: open the strait within 48 hours or the United States would “obliterate” the country’s power plants.
Trump’s aides defended the threat as a hard-edged tactic to press Iran into submission. Opponents framed it as the failure of a president who miscalculated what it would take to get out of a geopolitical mire.
“Trump has no plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, so he is threatening to attack Iran’s civil power plants,” said Democratic Senator Ed Markey, adding: “This would be a war crime”.
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“He’s lost control of the war and he is panicking,” said Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, responding to Trump’s post.