Trump Has Cornered Himself: Escalation with Iran Could Lead to War - Financial Times

U.S. President Donald Trump has cornered himself; the escalation with Iran could lead to war. This is reported by the Financial Times.

Donald Trump finds himself trapped by his own rhetoric, standing on the brink of extensive military confrontation with Iran. Despite vocal assertions of a desire to strike a deal and threats toward Tehran, the Iranian side refuses to make concessions, leading to increasing discontent for the U.S. president.

Experts state that the U.S. president has created the crisis situation himself. He has promised to support protesters in Iran and has moved the largest military force to the region since the Iraq War, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, but is now unable to achieve either concessions or dialogue with Tehran.

“To avoid an unwanted war, he must compel Iran to make serious concessions; otherwise, his own strategy could lead him into strikes,” says Middle East expert Aaron David Miller. “He has put himself in a position where, if he fails to secure serious concessions from Iran to avoid the war he does not want, he could get drawn into it. This is a crisis of his own making.”

However, the military scenario poses serious risks, including Iranian retaliatory strikes against U.S. forces and allies, negative reactions within the country (especially among Trump's electoral base), and limited resources from the Pentagon.