Donald Trump

Advocates for the US-Israeli special relationship have played a special role

Key US allies, like the UK and France, initially said the US attacks on Iran were unlawful, but after Trump lashed out some are now singing a different tune

Voters were promised America First, not Bush-era interventions

The US and Israel carried out strikes across Iran, and Tehran has retaliated by striking US/Israeli assets across the region. Could this turn into the regional war analysts have been warning about?

Military strategists have long warned that war should be waged only if those waging it know what they want to achieve. Herein lies a problem: Washington's war aims in Iran are incoherent.

The Supreme Court has stripped Trump's 'emergency' tariffs of their legal basis, triggering a scramble to recover fiscal losses

Quick, in-and-out precision operations that inflict maximum damage with minimum US casualties have long been a favoured tool of US presidents. Is Trump planning one for Iran?

Tehran isn't likely to easily fold if/when Trump attacks. This means that the longer a military confrontation drags out, the more untenable Washington's position becomes.

Trump will be wondering if a military confrontation with Iran would help or hurt his dwindling popularity at home, making his decision to strike one of the riskiest bets of his presidency