Will Donald Trump commit the United States to join Israel in destroying Iran’s capacity to build atomic bombs?
The answer, in my opinion, depends on the signals he receives from his buddies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and his most recent BFF, Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria.
If these mostly Sunni Moslems give him their proxy to bomb into the stone age a fellow Moslem country—albeit, a non Arab, Shia nation—Trump will feel more emboldened to flex American might, not in a prolonged campaign but with sufficient bunker-busting bombs to eliminate Iran’s underground atomic development facilities.
Unlike previous American involvement in Gulf conflicts that came after international coalitions, including Arab countries, were organized by presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Joseph Biden, any bombing decision by Trump will not come with public encouragement by Arab and Western nations. Their acquiescence will be behind closed doors. But their approval will be the tipping point for Trump’s thumbs down on Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump desperately needs an international win. His tariff initiative has left the world economy in turmoil. His purposeful contentious meetings with heads of state in the Oval Office have soured the reputation of the White House as a coveted stop for world leaders. Killing off USAID funding for humanitarian programs, mostly in Africa, has exposed his heartless, transactional approach to foreign affairs. His antipathy toward NATO, coupled with his bromance with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, have left observers wondering about his commitment to the European alliance and America’s continuing support of Ukraine in its defensive war with Russia, a war he said during his presidential campaign, he could end in a day. Today is day 148 of his presidency.
Trump has said he would never allow Iran to develop a nuclear bomb. Saddled with the moniker TACO—Trump Always Chickens Out—he now faces a decision on just how far he will go to back up his statement. No doubt he has instructed the White House telephone operator to immediately put through any incoming calls from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.
