Trump’s Hawks Ratchet Up Pressure on Him to Attack Iran

President Trump sounded a soft tone on Iran earlier on Thursday, but hawks continued throughout the day to push for a war, with an eye toward the downing of a US drone the latest excuse to attack Iran.

Trump has been repeating almost daily that he doesn’t want war, but the hawks who surround him appear determined to wear him down. This has already transitioned Trump away from vehement opposition to war to saying only “you’ll find out.“

But Congressional leadership was in the White House Thursday evening as well, apparently getting a preview of what the rest of us will “find out.” The indications are that there was strong support for a US response, though exactly what varied across the officials present.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), ever the war enthusiast, had a series of very specific recommendations, calling on the US to attack and destroy Iran’s entire Navy and then start attacking their oil refineries. That’s, needless to say, one of the bigger wars being advocated.

Trump’s well-established reluctance to get sucked into this particular war may not make the most aggressive plans so palatable, and hawks may ultimately try to sell him on a more limited strike just to get the ball rolling, and then hope that can escalate into something bigger down the road.

Trump has been trying to downplay the incidents which others were urging war over, and as recently as yesterday was reported to have ordered officials to tone down their talk of war, and reiterate that it is a war the US does not seek.