It Sure Looks Like the Trump Administration Is Preparing for War With Iran

No one wanted President Trump to pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal. The agreement signed by President Obama held that Iran would get rid its nuclear fuel in exchange for the U.S. waiving the sanctions that had crippled the nation’s economy. A UN nuclear agency monitored whether Iran was complying. Though many called the deal flawed, few argued it should be scrapped altogether. The international community, nuclear proliferation experts and administration officials like Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson all urged Donald Trump to keep it intact.

But laying waste to anything that could have been perceived as an accomplishment by his predecessor was at the top of Trump’s priority list, and the “decaying and rotten” deal, as he described it, was axed, alienating allies and angering Iran while clearing the way for the nation to build a nuclear bomb. A conflict has loomed since the agreement was nixed. Now, the United States is actively taking steps to prepare for one.

On Monday, the New York Times reported that Trump administration officials have drawn up a plan that involves sending up to 120,000 troops to the Middle East should Iran show aggression against American forces or resume its nuclear program. The Times learned of the plan, which was presented last week by Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, through discussions with several national security officials. The plan to send troops overseas was devised by National Security Adviser John Bolton, a conflict hawk who unsuccessfully lobbied for action against Iran while serving in the George W. Bush administration. Bolton also supported the invasion of Iraq. As the Times notes, the “120,000 troops would approach the size of the American force that invaded Iraq in 2003.”

As many have pointed out, the plan looks like a precursor for regime change.

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