Once again, the United States is on the precipice of war with Iran. But this time might be different.
In the eight months since the Trump administration bombed Iranian nuclear sites, the world has changed, and President Donald Trump seems emboldened. He faced little blowback after his previous attack on Iran, and he’s riding high after snatching Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela.
Now Trump is amping up the pressure on Tehran to give up its nuclear program by deploying a huge collection of fighter jets and warships to the Middle East, not seen since the Iraq War. If negotiations fail, Trump is threatening a massive attack, with the pursuit of regime change a possibility.
Last year, we asked a series of experts to weigh in on how an attack on Iran might unfold. We’ve gone back to them to see what they think of Trump’s latest moves, the potential rewards or risks of military action and how their own views may have changed based on what happened last time.
Their general consensus: Trump may be about to take risks that are far less predictable — and far more deadly — than his previous gambits to reshape the globe.