As US President Donald Trump weighs strikes on Iran, he is chasing the high from a series of “in-and-out” military operations like the recent US attack on Venezuela, experts say.
For Iran, that is bad news, because its violent crackdown on demonstrators comes as Trump has been able to claim victories from a bevy of interventions at minimal cost, for now.
“Swift tactical success and lack of domestic pushback, even among most of the non-interventionist Maga camp…have left Trump emboldened and confident in this ‘in-and-out’ approach to intervention,” Will Smith, an expert with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Centre, told Middle East Eye.
Andrew Curtis, a defence expert and former air force officer, said: “What worries me for Trump is that when you see successful military intervention like we saw in Venezuela, it sparks thoughts like ‘what else can I do with this toy that I have at my disposal’.”
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Trump is weighing strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij paramilitary sites. Meanwhile, Qatar has confirmed the US pulled some personnel from al-Udeid air base, which was struck by Iran in June after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
