&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Is Operation Epic Fury a 'desperation move' by Trump to win the US midterms? Ex US commander says...")
US President Donald Trump could lose a pivotal "race against time" with Iran if America runs out of interceptors first, warned a former top US military commander, even as he postulated that the US-Israel joint strikes on Iran may be because of the POTUS's hubris. Talking to The Times, James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld Jr. the former vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the high-risk attacks on Tehran could be a "desperation move" ahead of the US midterm elections. Here's what he said.
Trump saving himself from impeachment?
Winnefeld told The Times that Operation Epic Fury could be Trump's attempt to boost his plummeting public approval ratings ahead of the crucial midterm elections. The former US military commander, who happens to be the most senior figure yet to speak out critically about the war, noted that if Trump loses control of Congress in the midterms, it could potentially lead to the POTUS's early ejection from the White House via impeachment.
"This could be a bit of a desperation move in order to try to galvanise the American public behind him," he said. "It is entirely possible that if he loses the midterms, he will be a lame duck president, and he won’t be able to accomplish as much as he wants to on his agenda."
Winnefeld stated that it was "also a real threat to him personally". He noted that there was "no question" that "there will be new investigations opened up, potentially a long, drawn-out path towards a third impeachment." This, he said, was the "last thing that Donald Trump wants".
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Calling the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran a "risk," the former US commander said, Trump was "taking risks with inflation if oil prices maintain a high level. He’s taking a chance with his own political base, who actually elected him on a platform of no foreign wars."
Trump could end the war, but only if...
The former top US military commander said that the US-Israel-Iran war was bound to end sooner rather than later, with a "some kind of a nuclear deal to save face".
According to him, one way that might happen is with mediators coming up with a way for Trump to "declare victory before he runs out of ammunition".
"One way you could envision this ending is that Oman and Qatar, both of whom are close to the Iranians, step in and negotiate something where Trump is allowed to declare victory before he runs out of ammunition. Iran agrees to not enrich or export anything that it’s already enriched".
