The possibility of a U.S. strike on Iran has revealed fractures within President Donald Trump's support base, as key allies who helped propel him to power now warn against dragging the country into another Middle East war.
Some of Trump's most prominent Republican allies, including top lieutenant Steve Bannon, have found themselves in the unusual position of being at odds with a president who largely shares their isolationist tendencies.
Bannon, one of many influential voices from Trump's "America First" coalition, on Wednesday urged caution about the U.S. military joining Israel in trying to destroy Iran's nuclear program in the absence of a diplomatic deal.
"We can't do this again," Bannon told reporters at an event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington. "We'll tear the country apart. We can't have another Iraq."
The anti-interventionist part of the Republican Party is watching with alarm as Trump has moved swiftly from seeking a peaceful diplomatic settlement with Iran to possibly having the United States support Israel's military campaign, including the use of a 13600-kilogram (30,000-pound) "bunker buster" bomb.
