US spy agencies are analyzing how Iran may respond if President Trump declared victory and pulled back from the conflict with the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The report said that Trump was aware of the political cost to himself and the Republican Party as a result of the war, which, according to polling, is extremely unpopular among American voters. One White House official speaking to Reuters described the domestic pressure Trump was facing to end the conflict as “enormous.”
An Ipsos poll conducted earlier this month found that just 24% of Americans thought the war was worth it, while a majority, 51%, said it wasn’t, and 54% said it had a negative impact on their financial situation, as Americans have been facing rising gas prices.
The Reuters report said that, in the days after the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign, US intelligence agencies had assessed that if Trump declared victory and pulled forces out of the region, Iran would view it as a win. But if Trump claimed that the US won the war and didn’t reduce the US military presence in the Middle East, Tehran would just view it as a negotiating tactic.
After announcing the ceasefire with Iran, Trump did claim at one point that it was a “total and complete victory” for the US, but he has continued to build up forces in the region and threaten further attacks on the country. He has also implemented a blockade on Iranian ports, which has impeded further US-Iran peace talks, as Tehran views it as a violation of the ceasefire and is keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed in response.
