Some advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump believe that the White House has about eight weeks to launch a new large-scale military operation against Iran. The reason is that Democrats are set to take control of both chambers of Congress in January, NBC News reports, citing several sources.
According to the outlet, some U.S. officials are insisting that strikes against Iran be resumed “within weeks”. Among the most active supporters of this approach is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
If Trump undertakes a new escalation after the new Congress takes office, this could lead to investigations in the legislative body and the adoption of a resolution calling for an end to military operations. This would subject the administration to greater political pressure and limit its ability to conduct a prolonged operation without support from Congress.
Division within Trump’s team
NBC News reports that Hegseth is blaming officials who persuaded the president to halt military operations in April and subsequently agree to a memorandum of understanding with Tehran. They include Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
According to the outlet’s sources, Hegseth believes that the United States should launch a new large-scale operation against the Islamic Republic. Other Trump advisers, however, warn that such a move would undermine efforts to reach a peace agreement.
This division is also confirmed by other U.S. media reports. Axios reported that Vance and Witkoff are pushing for a deal with Iran, while Hegseth supports the resumption of military action. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is among the officials who prefer to maintain pressure on Tehran without immediately starting a new war.
Political pressure is mounting
In the congressional elections, Democrats won control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The new majority is due to take office in January, which explains why some of Trump’s advisers view the coming weeks as a possible window for action.
At the same time, the president is publicly signaling that he has not made a final decision. In an interview with Axios, Trump said there was “no rush” to decide whether the United States should resume strikes against Iran.
The Associated Press reported that following the electoral defeat, Trump is facing the question of how to continue the war with Iran, which has become one of the Republican Party’s main political problems. The White House has yet to officially confirm that a decision has been made to launch a new large-scale operation.
Sources: axios.com, apnews.com, cbsnews.com