Close Trump allies feel 'buyer's remorse' as president risks walking into 'trap': report
President Donald Trump's closest allies are starting to have "buyer's remorse" about the decision to launch a war on Iran, according to sources close to the administration.
The 79-year-old president has long made impulsive decisions and then quickly improvised when things go wrong, but a source close to the administration told Axios that some key officials around Trump were hesitant to rush into a war that previous administrations had deemed too risky.
"He ended up saying, 'I just want to do it,'" the source said. "He grossly overestimated his ability to topple the regime short of sending in ground troops."
That source said Trump was "high on his own supply" after last summer's strikes on Iran and the swift attack on Venezuela that captured its president, Nicolás Maduro.
"He saw multiple decisive quick victories with extraordinary military competence," that source said.
However, Iran has not surrendered despite the killing of its top leaders and has shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which has strangled the flow of oil from the Middle East and threatens a global economic catastrophe, and the president has few good options going forward.
"Trump could wind up trapped between his caprice and the realities of war," Axios reported. "He expects a quick, clear victory. But unlike tariffs that can be swiftly imposed and rescinded, the war's outcome is beyond unilateral control and quick fixes. And Iran gets a say."
The president is working to break up the Persian Gulf oil jam, but military experts say he risks walking into an "escalation trap," and a senior administration source told Axios that was certainly a concern.
"The Iranians f---ing around with the Strait makes [Trump] more dug in," that source said.
Even if Trump pulled U.S. troops out of the region tomorrow, Iran could keep the strait closed – and oil prices spiked – until American was forced to re-engage, which removes some of Trump's incentive to declare victory and wind down Operation Epic Fury.
"The Iranians have made it clear in private and in public that even if Trump decides to end the war, they could continue shooting missiles and rockets until they get guarantees that this is the end of the war, not just a temporary ceasefire," Axios reported.