Rumours are circulating that Donald Trump is preparing to authorise the deployment of US forces to join Israel’s campaign against Iran. On the brink: Major powers poised to enter Israel–Iran war.
Given the apparent difficulties Israel is facing in the conflict, its leadership and lobbying networks have been frantically pushing for American involvement.
Trump may have already played a role in Israel’s pre-attack planning by engaging Iran in bad-faith nuclear negotiations designed to lull them into a false sense of security. He has even claimed this himself since the war began — though Trump claims many things.
This is unacceptable. Let’s consider the facts:
This war was initiated by Israel. Iran did not strike first, nor had it indicated it would. This is undisputed. There was no emergent threat to justify a pre-emptive strike. Israel hit while Iran was actively engaged in nuclear negotiations — and their opening target was Iran’s negotiation team.
Israeli claims about Iran’s nuclear threat are absurd. Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed since the 1990s that Iran is six weeks away from nuclear breakout. Yet decades later, no breakout has occurred. Iran appears to take Khamenei’s fatwa against nuclear weapons seriously. Even if they do possess warheads, they clearly have a high threshold for use — arguably higher than Israel’s. Iran may be hostile, but it is not suicidal. Its military posture appears defensive and rational.
Concerns about “Muslim nukes” are both racist and illogical. Pakistan has nuclear weapons. According to a leak by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Saudi Arabia may also possess them — likely via Pakistan. Tel Aviv has not been struck.
Israel’s nuclear hypocrisy is glaring. It refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and is widely known to maintain a covert arsenal of hundreds of nuclear warheads — a blatant violation of the very norms it accuses Iran of flouting.
From a purely American perspective, involvement is dangerous. Iran can inflict serious damage on US forces in the region, particularly in the Persian Gulf. It could close the Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices soaring. Denying this is delusion. The potential for American casualties and global economic destabilisation is very real.
This appears to be Netanyahu’s desperate gambit to avoid prosecution. He faces credible corruption charges and has a history of using military conflict to prop up his political standing. This war fits that pattern perfectly.
Nobody in the US voted for this. Trump campaigned on restraint — ending wars, not starting them. He promised a more cautious foreign policy and a break from Biden’s blank-cheque strategy. Now we’re on the brink of war for a cause that serves neither American interests nor values.If Netanyahu wishes to destroy himself politically, let him. This is not our war. The only action the Trump administration should be considering is brokering an immediate ceasefire and restoring regional stability.
It’s time, for once, to choose peace.
