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The U.S. is sleepwalking into war with Iran. Trump won’t explain why.

With Trump’s motives and objectives so unclear, it’s little wonder that talks aren’t working.

By MAX BOOT

Washington Post
February 23, 2025

The U.S. military has assembled a formidable armada in the Middle East, including two aircraft carrier strike groups and dozens of additional aircraft. It is the largest array of U.S. warplanes in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. All signs suggest that military action against Iran could be imminent. The question is why. President Donald Trump isn’t explaining why he’s acting or what he hopes to achieve, so the world can only speculate.

The original impetus for U.S. military action was the Iranian regime’s bloody repression of protests in early January. On Jan. 13, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! … HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” By the end of the month, it was too late to help the protesters: They had already been crushed, with heavy casualties. Trump had missed his moment to act, assuming he wanted to do so, because there were simply not enough U.S. forces in the region to go to war with Iran. The Gerald R. Ford strike group, for example, had been sent to the Caribbean as part of the operation to abduct Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela.

But rather than give up on military action against Iran, Trump simply shifted his rationale. On Jan. 28, he wrote on Truth Social: “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS. … Time is running out.”