{"id":1154,"date":"2019-05-17T13:12:22","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T12:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/codir.net\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2019-05-17T13:12:22","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T12:12:22","slug":"trump-frustrated-by-advisers-is-not-convinced-the-time-is-right-to-attack-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/codir.net\/?p=1154","title":{"rendered":"Trump, frustrated by advisers, is not convinced the time is right to attack Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"inline-content inline-photo inline-photo-normal \" data-elm-loc=\"0\"><span class=\"pb-caption\">National security adviser John Bolton listens as President Trump meets with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orb\u00e1n in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. (Jabin Botsford\/The Washington Post)<\/span><\/div>\n<article class=\"paywall\">\n<div class=\"author-sig-line-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"author-sig-line\">\n<div class=\"author-byline multiple\">\n<div class=\"author-wrapper\" data-authorname=\"John Hudson\">\n<div class=\"author-info\"><span class=\"by-lbl\">By<\/span>\u00a0John Hudson\u00a0<span class=\"byline-divider-comma\">, <\/span>Shane Harris\u00a0<span class=\"byline-divider-comma\">, <\/span>Josh Dawsey\u00a0<span class=\"byline-divider-lbl\">and <\/span>Anne Gearan<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"author-timestamp\">May 15 at 11:35 PM<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"1\">The Trump administration has been on high alert in response to what military and intelligence officials have deemed specific and credible threats from Iran against U.S. personnel in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"2\">But President Trump is frustrated with some of his top advisers, who he thinks could rush the United States into a military confrontation with Iran and shatter his long-standing pledge to withdraw from costly foreign wars, according to several U.S. officials. Trump prefers a diplomatic approach to resolving tensions and wants to speak directly with Iran\u2019s leaders.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"3\">Disagreements over assessing and responding to the recent intelligence \u2014 which includes a directive from Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that some American officials interpret as a threat to U.S. personnel in the Middle East \u2014 are also fraying alliances with foreign allies, according to multiple officials in the United States and Europe.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"4\">Trump grew angry last week and over the weekend about what he sees as warlike planning that is getting ahead of his own thinking, said a senior administration official with knowledge of conversations Trump had regarding national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"5\">\u201cThey are getting way out ahead of themselves, and Trump is annoyed,\u201d the official said. \u201cThere was a scramble for Bolton and Pompeo and others to get on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"6\">Bolton, who advocated regime change in Iran before joining the White House last year, is \u201cjust in a different place\u201d from Trump, although the president has been a fierce critic of Iran since long before he hired Bolton. Trump \u201cwants to talk to the Iranians; he wants a deal\u201d and is open to negotiation with the Iranian government, the official said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-content inline-video\" data-elm-loc=\"7\">\n<div class=\"wpv-wrap\" data-lazy-background=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/player\/prod\/img\/wp_grey.jpg\" data-lazy-backgrounding=\"true\">\n<div class=\"wpv-fixed\">\n<div id=\"powa-sticky-powa-89aa272c-8f54-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d-0\" class=\"powa-wrap\" data-viewable-fired=\"true\">\n<div class=\"powa-wrap-inner\">\n<div id=\"powa-89aa272c-8f54-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d-0\" class=\"posttv-video-embed powa powa-processed large\" data-org=\"wapo\" data-uuid=\"89aa272c-8f54-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d\" data-ad-bar=\"1\" data-playthrough=\"1\" data-blurb=\"1\" data-object-id=\"5b5742c7e4b0ddc68e721d6c\" data-youtube-id=\"\" data-live=\"0\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.5621\" data-autorun=\"true\" data-decorated=\"true\" data-autoinit=\"true\" data-nth-video-on-page=\"0\" data-mpulse=\"true\" data-preload=\"metadata\" data-player-type=\"posttv-embed\" data-custom-ctrls=\"true\" data-autoinit-ads=\"1\" data-autoplay-fallback=\"muted\" data-init-on-scroll=\"true\" data-viewable-fired=\"true\" data-device-class=\"deskweb\">\n<div id=\"powa-89aa272c-8f54-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d-0-lookout-top\" class=\"powa-lookout\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"powa-89aa272c-8f54-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d-0-powa-shot\" class=\"powa-shot\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-image powa-shot-click powa-shot-click-play\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-masthead\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-title shadow franklin-light\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/video\/c\/embed\/89aa272c-8f54-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d\" width=\"480\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"powa-shot-btn-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-play-btn powa-shot-click powa-shot-click-play\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"powa-shot-logo\" data-logo=\"wapo-segments\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"blurb-powa-89aa272c-8f54-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d-0\" class=\"powa-blurb-wrap powa-blurb inline-video-caption franklin-light\">\n<p><span class=\"powa-tease franklin-light\">Under President Trump, United States-Iranian relations have taken a decisive turn for the worse. Here&#8217;s a brief history of the tumultuous relationship.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"powa-byline franklin-light\">(Joyce Lee\/The Washington Post)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"8\">\u201cHe is not comfortable with all this \u2018regime change\u2019 talk,\u201d which to his ears echoes the discussion of removing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein before the 2003 U.S. invasion, said the official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"10\">When asked about the accounts of Trump\u2019s frustration with Bolton, National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said, \u201cThis reporting doesn\u2019t accurately reflect reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"11\">Trump is not inclined to respond forcefully unless there is a \u201cbig move\u201d from the Iranians, a senior White House official said. Still, the president is willing to respond forcefully if there are American deaths or a dramatic escalation, the official said.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"12\">While Trump grumbles about Bolton somewhat regularly, his discontent with his national security adviser is not near the levels it reached with Rex Tillerson when he served as Trump\u2019s secretary of state, the official added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-content inline-video\" data-elm-loc=\"13\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/video\/c\/embed\/b01e8ed1-82e8-4e0a-b52f-646ccf952818\" width=\"480\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"blurb-powa-b01e8ed1-82e8-4e0a-b52f-646ccf952818-1\" class=\"powa-blurb-wrap powa-blurb inline-video-caption franklin-light\">\n<p><span class=\"powa-tease franklin-light\">Amidst rising tensions with Tehran, President Trump warned May 13 there would be a &#8220;bad problem&#8221; for Iran if it tried anything against the United States.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"powa-byline franklin-light\">(Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"14\">Trump denied any \u201cinfighting\u201d related to his Middle East policies in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1128739520311066626\">tweet\u00a0<\/a>on Wednesday. \u201cThere is no infighting whatsoever,\u201d Trump said. \u201cDifferent opinions are expressed and I make a decisive and final decision \u2014 it is a very simple process. All sides, views, and policies are covered. I\u2019m sure that Iran will want to talk soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"15\">On Wednesday morning, the president attended a Situation Room briefing on Iran, a person familiar with the meeting said.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"16\">Pentagon and intelligence officials said that three distinct Iranian actions have triggered alarms: information suggesting an Iranian threat against U.S. diplomatic facilities in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Irbil; U.S. concerns that Iran may be preparing to mount rocket or missile launchers on small ships in the Persian Gulf; and a directive from Khamenei to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and regular Iranian military units that some U.S. officials have interpreted as a potential threat to U.S. military and diplomatic personnel. On Wednesday, the State Department ordered\u00a0<a title=\"www.washingtonpost.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/us-ordersnon-emergency-government-employees-to-leave-iraq\/2019\/05\/15\/80ec7fb4-76e8-11e9-ac17-284a66782c41_story.html?utm_term=.cf0dab8513aa\">nonessential personnel<\/a>\u00a0to leave the U.S. missions in Baghdad and Irbil.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"17\">In Tokyo on Thursday, visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran was exercising \u201cmaximum restraint.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"18\">\u201cWe believe that escalation by the United States is unacceptable and uncalled for,\u201d Zarif told his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"19\">U.S. and European officials said there are disagreements about Iran\u2019s ultimate intentions and whether the new intelligence merits a more forceful response than previous Iranian actions.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"20\">Some worry that the renewed saber-rattling could create a miscalculation on the ground, said two Western officials familiar with the matter. And Iran\u2019s use of proxy forces, the officials said, means it does not have absolute control over militias, which could attack U.S. personnel and provoke a devastating U.S. response that in turn prompts a counter-escalation.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"21\">Bolton warned in a statement last week that \u201cany attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"22\">Military officials have described themselves as torn between their desire to avoid open confrontation with Iran and their concern about the recent intelligence, which led the commander of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., to request a host of additional military assets, including an aircraft carrier and strategic bombers.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"23\">Multiple officials said uniformed officers from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, led by its chairman, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., have been among the leading voices articulating the costs of war with Iran.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"24\">Other officials said the view that deterrence rather than conflict was required was \u201cmonolithic\u201d across the Pentagon and was shared by civilian officials led by acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan, whom Trump nominated last week to remain in the job but who has not yet been confirmed by the Senate. As the tensions have intensified, Shanahan has been in touch multiple times a day with other senior leaders, including Bolton, Pompeo and Dunford, officials said.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"25\">Some defense officials have described Bolton\u2019s more aggressive approach as troubling.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"26\">Defense officials said that they are considering whether they will field additional weaponry or personnel to the Persian Gulf region to strengthen their deterrent against possible action by Iran or proxy groups, but that they hope additional deployments will prevent rather than fuel attacks.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"27\">Trump\u2019s fears of entangling the United States in another war have been a powerful counterweight to the more bellicose positions of some of his advisers.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"28\">Trump has called the Iraq War a massive and avoidable blunder, and his political support was built in part on the idea that he would not repeat such a costly expenditure of American blood and treasure.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"29\">A new deal with Iran, which Trump has said he could one day envision, would be a replacement for the international\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/pompeo-vows-us-will-block-iran-from-ever-building-a-nuclear-weapon\/2019\/05\/08\/bdecc3ee-bfec-4293-b7d1-ae5b45cdc118_story.html?utm_term=.0d344c552b84\">nuclear\u00a0<\/a>compact he left last year that was forged by the Obama administration. Trump\u2019s early policy on Iran, which predated Bolton\u2019s arrival, was aimed at neutralizing the pact and clearing the way for an agreement he thought would more strictly keep Iran in check.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"30\">Trump\u2019s administration has been frustrated, however, that Iran and the rest of the signatories to the nuclear agreement have kept it in force.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"31\">Trump\u2019s anger over what he considered a more warlike footing than he wanted was a main driver in Pompeo\u2019s decision last weekend to suddenly cancel a stop in Moscow and on short notice fly instead to Brussels, where he sought meetings on Monday with the European nations that are parties to the Iran nuclear deal, two officials said. Pompeo was not accorded the symbolic welcome of joining their joint Iran-focused meeting. Instead, he met with foreign ministers one by one.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"32\">Pompeo\u2019s visit was meant to convey both U.S. alarm over the recent intelligence on Iran and Washington\u2019s desire for diplomacy, not war, two officials said.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"33\">But European leaders, who have been watching the febrile atmosphere in Washington with alarm, have not been convinced, according to conversations with 10 European diplomats and officials from seven countries, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive assessments of Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n<div id=\"f09UW8xx9vIlpr\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-article-body\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"article\/article-body\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0fq6evzSKq9\">\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"article-body content-format-ans \">\n<article class=\"paywall\">\n<p data-elm-loc=\"34\">Pompeo \u201cdidn\u2019t show us any evidence\u201d about his reasons Washington is so concerned about potential Iranian aggression, said one senior European official who took part in one of Pompeo\u2019s meetings. The official\u2019s delegation left the meeting unconvinced of the American case and puzzled about why Pompeo had come at all.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"35\">Many officials in European capitals said they fear that conflict with Iran could have a cascading effect on their relations with Washington, ripping open divisions on unrelated issues.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"36\">They distrust Trump\u2019s Iran policy, fearing that key White House advisers are ginning up rationales for war. And leaders need to win reelection from citizens who hold Trump in low regard and would punish them for fighting alongside Americans on the Iran issue.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"37\">Democratic members of Congress, while traditionally strong supporters of pressuring Iran, have also raised questions about the intelligence and the administration\u2019s apparent flirtation with combat. In a statement on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, demanded \u201canswers from this administration about Iran .\u2009.\u2009. and about what intelligence this administration has.\u201d So far, he said, the administration has ignored those demands and refused to provide briefings.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"38\">\u201cWe cannot, and we will not, be led into dangerous military adventurism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"39\">Anxieties over the heightened threat environment spilled over into Capitol Hill on Wednesday during a classified briefing. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) argued that the intelligence warranted an escalation against Iran, said one person with knowledge of the briefing. In response, Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.) accused her of exaggerating the threat in what the person described as a \u201cvery heated exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"40\">A representative for Moulton declined to comment. A spokesman for Cheney said the congresswoman \u201cwill never comment on classified briefings and believes that any member or staffer who does puts the security of the nation at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"trailer \" data-elm-loc=\"45\">Michael Birnbaum in Brussels, Simon Denyer in Tokyo and Missy Ryan, Karen DeYoung and Carol Morello in Washington contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fG9Yaa1x9vIlpr\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-page-comments-link\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"page\/comments-link\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0fX2pbXsipk\">\n<div id=\"comment_link_button_wrapper\" class=\"comment-link-button-wrapper display-samePage\">\n<div id=\"comment_summary_button\">\n<div class=\"comment-summary-count\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"share-this\">\n                    <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share\"\nclass=\"twitter-share-button\"\ndata-count=\"horizontal\">Tweet<\/a>\n                    <script type=\"text\/javascript\"\nsrc=\"http:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"><\/script>\n                    <div class=\"facebook-share-button\">\n                        <iframe\nsrc=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fcodir.net%2F%3Fp%3D1154&amp;layout=button_count&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=200&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;height=21\"\nscrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;\noverflow:hidden; width:200px; height:21px;\"\nallowTransparency=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National security adviser John Bolton listens as President Trump meets with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orb\u00e1n in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. (Jabin Botsford\/The Washington Post) By\u00a0John Hudson\u00a0, Shane Harris\u00a0, Josh Dawsey\u00a0and Anne Gearan May [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1156,"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions\/1156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codir.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}