Donald Trump may be having buyer’s remorse over the Iran war. US fuel prices are near an all-time high; his approval ratings are at an all-time low, and oil tankers remain stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to tip the global economy into recession. Trump is not good at taking responsibility. “The buck stops with everyone else” is his version of Harry Truman’s motto, “The buck stops here”, which Truman had on a sign on his desk in the Oval Office. For once, though, Trump has a point. He has every right to be angry with the man who sold him the war: Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The New York Times last month reconstructed the crucial meeting at which Trump accepted Netanyahu’s case for bombing. It took place at the long table in the White House Situation Room, both men flanked by their top advisers. “Netanyahu delivered his presentation in a confident monotone,” the Times reported. He told Trump that Iran’s ballistic missile programme could be destroyed in a few weeks, and the regime would be so weakened it could not choke off the vital Strait of Hormuz. Iran would be unable to land serious blows against US interests and allies in neighbouring countries. Netanyahu also said – and this may have been the clincher – that bombing would free Iran’s opposition groups to overthrow the regime.
