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outsidethebeltway.com: https://outsidethebeltway.com/trump-considering-resuming-major-combat-operations-against-iran/

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Saturday, May 23, 2026

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Trump Considering Resuming Major Combat Operations Against Iran – Outside the Beltway Search for: Outside the Beltway About Archives Policies Register Login Contact US Politics World Politics National Security Democracy Business Law Media Technology Entertainment Trump Considering Resuming Major Combat Operations Against Iran The options are not good. James Joyner · Saturday, May 23, 2026 · 2 comments Official White House Photo NYT (“ Trump Weighs His Options in Carrying Out New Strikes in Iran “): President Trump was in the Oval Office on Friday morning with his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, in what appeared to be a review of military options for potentially resuming the bombing campaign against Iran. The existence of the meeting was revealed by Gen. Dan
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Trump Considering Resuming Major Combat Operations Against Iran – Outside the Beltway Search for: Outside the Beltway About Archives Policies Register Login Contact US Politics World Politics National Security Democracy Business Law Media Technology Entertainment Trump Considering Resuming Major Combat Operations Against Iran The options are not good. James Joyner · Saturday, May 23, 2026 · 2 comments Official White House Photo NYT (“ Trump Weighs His Options in Carrying Out New Strikes in Iran “): President Trump was in the Oval Office on Friday morning with his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, in what appeared to be a review of military options for potentially resuming the bombing campaign against Iran. The existence of the meeting was revealed by Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a graduation ceremony at the Naval Academy. While he said nothing about the substance of the meeting, the timing was notable, as negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and its blockage of the Strait of Hormuz appear to have hit a dead end. There is no shortage of targets, should Mr. Trump, in coordination with Israel, decide to resume the assault on Iran that paused on April 8. There are energy facilities left untouched after about 38 days of bombing, the deep underground nuclear storage site at Isfahan where Iran’s supply of near-bomb-grade uranium is already under rubble, and missile sites that were attacked back in March but appear to have been dug out. And after weeks of declaring that an agreement was near, and then that the Iranians were “dangling” him, negotiations seem to be at a standstill. Mr. Trump announced on Friday that he was skipping the wedding this weekend of his son and namesake, Donald Trump Jr., because of “circumstances pertaining to the Government, and my love of the United States of America.” For Mr. Trump, the risks of resuming combat operations appear far greater now than they were in late February, when he ordered the first strikes in Operation Epic Fury, in coordination with Israel. Now he has to deal with the reality that after five weeks of war and six weeks of cease-fire, he has failed to force Iran’s leaders to relent. Mr. Trump frequently notes — accurately — that Iran’s navy has been sunk and its air force destroyed, and that many of its missile sites and military bases have been reduced to rubble or badly damaged. But the destruction has not translated into victory. Crucially, the near-bomb-grade nuclear uranium remains where it has been since Mr. Trump ordered a bombing raid on three nuclear sites nearly a year ago, deep underground at Isfahan. Iran’s missile capability has been degraded, but not destroyed. And the Strait of Hormuz has fallen under Iran’s control, even as the U.S. Navy intercepts shipments headed into or out of Iranian ports. If Mr. Trump orders new combat operations, the political risks are high. Already gas prices are over five dollars a gall
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