WASHINGTON, March 17. /TASS/. Some members of US President Donald Trump’s inner circle believe control over the course of the military operation against Iran has been lost, Politico reported, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, in the beginning of the operation, many around the US president expected it to end quickly, while the lack of clearly defined goals would allow Trump to "declare victory whenever he saw fit." "Now, more than two weeks into the campaign, some of those allies believe the president no longer controls how, or when, the war ends," Politico writes. According to its sources, some in the president’s circle believe a ground operation against Iran may be the only way to secure victory.
Iran is now playing the decisive role, a source told Politico. "They decide how long we’re involved — and they decide if we put boots on the ground. And it doesn’t seem to me that there’s a way around that, if we want to save face," the source emphasized. According to the newspaper, many of Trump’s allies are "urging the White House not to rush toward a ground war," while acknowledging that "the president’s alternatives narrow with each additional escalatory step the US takes."
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.