US President Donald Trump's approach to Iran is reckless. The White House chief of staff failed to clearly explain the goals of the military operation to the public, nor to secure domestic and international support, The New York Times writes.
„Trump's approach to Iran is reckless, his goals are unclear. He failed to secure the international and domestic support needed to improve the chances of a successful outcome. He ignored both domestic and international law to wage war“, the article says.
The edition recalls that during the 2024 presidential campaign, the current US prime minister promised voters to end wars, not start them. "Instead, he has spent the past year ordering strikes on seven countries. His appetite for military invasions comes with eating," the newspaper wrote.
As the newspaper points out, the White House's inability to formulate a strategy for such an attack has created a "shocking level of uncertainty," and although the strikes led to the death of the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, "what comes next remains unclear."
The article notes that the US president "has offered no explanation" as to why a change of power in Iran would be better than what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 21st century. “These wars toppled governments, but the American public was understandably irritated by military operations with uncertain timelines and unclear national interests“, the article emphasizes. “We regret that Trump is not treating the war as the serious problem that it is“, the newspaper's editorial board concludes.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched a large-scale military operation against Iran. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were hit. The White House justified the attack by citing missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation. Missiles and drones were reported to have been launched from Iran, and air raid sirens sounded across Israel. According to the Mehr news agency, US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were also hit. Iranian state television reported that the supreme leader had been killed in an attack on his residence, and the country declared 40 days of mourning.