Iran - Trump's 'I may do it, I may not'

[Westfacing]

Do you think Trump has a plan - he seems to blow with the wind and experts on the media seem not to know what he's up to?

I think he was intending to sit on the sidelines and let both sides get on with it, and then saw how well it seemed to be going for Israel and now wants a bit of the action/glory.

The fall of the regime would please the majority of the Iranian public but I doubt if the majority want the government to 'surrender'.

I have a feeling that the Ayatollah might just call Trump's bluff and sit tight - they have survived 46 years.

He's said repeatedly in the past that he's against American intervention in the Middle East. Some of his followers won't be pleased.

I don’t think the republicans have the stomach for another war. And Americans in general aren’t in support. Not that he cares.

But I think they would if it was short and sharp, or appeared to be.

I'm of the opinion that he just doesn't know which way to jump, but would like to take the credit if the regime falls - regardless of the aftermath.

No plan at all. He went to president on a firm anti war ticket.
However right now Israel is bombing the area where Iranian leaders are being held so maybe it will be irrelevant soon.

Chian has entered the chat ;

China says it 'cannot sit by' as Middle East escalates
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has said China is 'deeply concerned' that the conflict between Israel and Iran 'may get out of control'.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang told his Egyptian counterpart in a phone call:
Israel's acts of disregarding international law and international rules has caused the situation in the Middle East to suddenly become tense, and China is also deeply concerned that the situation may get out of control.
In a separate phone call with Oman's foreign minister, Wang said the two countries 'cannot sit idly by and let the region slide into an unknown abyss'.

Yes, but things change don’t they? Starmer promised there would be no tax rises during his election campaign and look how that turned out…

as the leader of a country why would you give your plans to the media ? instead you would use eg special ops teams or make it the last moment before you say we have boots on the ground etc

Maybe china can sort out a cease fire

There won’t be boots on the ground they don’t want a succession of these again.

If that does happen the Trump will want that Bibi less so.

He has zero plan and no chance of coming up with one that will succeed. So he'll do whatever he feels like.🤷‍♀️

Maybe Iran should offer him a big gold plane.

It almost had a reality TV slant to it I thought! Text 01 to this number if you want us to drop a Bunker Buster Bomb text 02 if you don’t!

The man is deranged!

Two of my favourite journalists Matt Frei and Gideon Levy both titans of their profession.

Interesting, not often I find myself agreeing with China! And in my opinion Trump is already in this war, up to his neck in it.

@Birdsinginginthetrees yes I agree I was more in the vein of no plan. Just seen Ted Cruz speak allegedly Iran is also developing inter ballistic missiles.
Ideally whatever is there needs elimination for now and future.

Would there be a wider war?

The U.S could take out the nukes with bunker busters (so I have read) and between them and Israel, there would be nothing left of Iran as a military power, and the leadership would be gone.

I can’t see anyone putting boots on the ground, so it would be a matter of who stepped into the power vacuum in Iran. It could end well, it might not.

But I can’t see China doing anything bad reprimanding the U.S as long as it was over quickly and Russia is way too busy with Ukraine.

There is no plan. He’s blundering around trying to show his strength with social media posts.

He doesn’t seem to have any interest in actual warmongering. But then there are those in his cabinet that do. I think it is a moment where anything could happen.

Trump likes to be seen as a winner. Israel seems to be “winning” and so Trump has got behind them.

However still lots of unknowns and so he will probably wait and see.

When the Israelis have definitely “won” he will drop the bunker bombs so he can claim some credit

Bibi has basically played him.

The lives of the innocent mean nothing to any of the parties involved

Depends on what Putin the puppet master wants.

Gideon Levy "Israel has committed 100 7th of October's in Gaza" , "Our paranoia is always that we are moments away from extermination" and "thus we have no guilt for what we HAVE to do and believe only in the sword". "One hour away from here is hell on earth - but they are not Jews so we don't care" .

"But at least they let me talk - but not on TV and Israelis spit at me in the street".

There is always hope and always dissident voices that one day may be mainstream once agin.

The question is likely around the capability only the US has on the nuclear weapon stuff.

No idea if they will go for it.

A Washington Iranian think-tanker and regime critic pours scorn on the Shah's son and his support for Israel.

https://x.com/Alfoneh

There are so many risks to the US if they attack Iran, not least the humiliation if things go wrong - seems there are doubts about the effectiveness of the 'bunker busting' bomb.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/19/trump-caution-on-iran-strike-linked-to-doubts-over-bunker-buster-bomb-officials-say

Imagine the triumphalism of the Iranian regime if the bomb failed or US aircraft were somehow shot down.

The US was humiliated in 1980 when President Carter tried and failed to rescue its embassy hostages - there were numerous technical difficulties and eight US soldiers were killed when aircraft crashed into each other. Ayatollah Khomeini was gleeful and called it an act of god.

@Westfacing ,

‘There are so many risks to the US if they attack Iran, not least the humiliation if things go wrong - seems there are doubts about the effectiveness of the 'bunker busting' bomb.’

What are the risks?

Even if it didn’t fully destroy the facility, it would severely damage it.

There is no way the plane would be shot down; Iran no longer has an air defence and the U.S and Israel can take out anything Iran might muster last minute.

You cannot compare an aerial campaign with a hostage rescue situation. The latter involves troops and aircraft on the ground.

The only dangers are in terms of influence. Trump would struggle to be remembered as a ‘man of peace’ and he would also be hobbled if he tried to tell Putin to cool it in Ukraine.

I agree re plane not being shot down but what do you think other reactions should be looked into, I’m thinking China. Maybe they’re being briefed by US who knows