Under President Donald Trump, tensions between the United States and Iran are mounting higher, with top officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton itching to pull the trigger on a military engagement.
But as conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks noted on Friday's edition of PBS "NewsHour," Trump is unlikely to pull the trigger on war, because he is in a difficult situation on the world stage.
"I'd say the big minus is how he's treated all our alliances, which makes all those issues harder," said Brooks. "But his general posture is one of, sometimes, extreme bellicosity, with no convincing idea he's actually going to do anything about these things. And so I think we're not very close to a war in Iran. He's loathe to do that, he'd be crazy to do that."
Trump has taken a hardline stance on Iran from day one, and last year took the United States out of compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that secured a nuclear deal with Iran. Other countries that America jointly entered into the agreement with are still attempting to enforce it, but Iran has retaliated by moving to restore some of its nuclear technology.
Recent reports have suggested Trump does not want to declare war on Iran, and is increasingly frustrated with officials in his administration who are pushing it as an option.
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