Nournews: According to an investigation published by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and senior military leaders had warned Trump about the risks of launching a war against Iran, including casualties, depleted ammunition supplies, the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the potential emergence of a more “radical” political system in Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US officials had convinced Trump that Iran was at its “weakest point in decades” and that the war presented an opportunity to “destroy its nuclear program and overthrow its government.”

The newspaper also reported that nearly six months after Trump pledged to end the war within six weeks, the conflict is still ongoing. Following the end of negotiations on August 17, Washington adopted a strategy of sanctions and a naval blockade aimed at “overthrowing the Iranian government.”

A former US National Security Council official concluded that the warnings issued before the war had largely come true. He also stressed that the lack of a clear political objective had led to poor management of diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Six months after the start of what Trump had hoped would be a swift attack, the US president appears to be growing tired of the war—or even denying its consequences—as the conflict casts a long shadow over his second term in office. According to Pentagon figures, the war has killed at least 18 US service members and wounded more than 750 others, becoming a major burden for Trump. Thousands more people have also been killed in Iran and Lebanon.

Electoral Consequences

As crucial midterm elections approach, American voters are angry about the war’s impact on the cost of living.

According to Al Jazeera, even Trump’s supporters are asking why a president who had pledged not to launch new foreign wars has dragged the United States into another quagmire without a clear exit strategy.

William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, asks about the situation: “Is there a magic solution?” He answers: “I don’t think there is one.”

Trump’s approval rating has fallen since he returned to power in 2015, with the decline accelerating after the US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from August 14 to 17 put Trump’s approval rating at 33%, the lowest level of his current presidency. Other major polls have also shown a significant decline in his approval rating.