Donald Trump abandoned the plan to seize Kharg Island—a key hub for Iranian oil exports—out of concern over potentially heavy losses and the risk that American troops could become “easy targets.” As the standoff has dragged on, the war with Iran is increasingly being viewed within his circle as politically risky, and pressure is growing inside the administration to bring the conflict to a close as quickly as possible, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources.
According to people familiar with the matter, Trump had already instructed his negotiating team in late March to find a way to open a channel with Tehran, and throughout the conflict repeatedly demanded that they “push them toward a deal.”
The president’s inflammatory public statements and ultimatum-laced rhetoric were seen by those around him as a pressure tactic designed to force Iran to the negotiating table. In particular, the threat to bring about the “destruction of Iran’s civilization,” sources said, was not part of any coordinated plan but an improvisation by Trump meant to intimidate Tehran and accelerate the negotiating process.
The president also made hard-line statements without consulting his national security advisers and, according to the sources, deliberately sought to “appear as unstable and insulting as possible,” believing that doing so would intensify the pressure on Iran.
Trump also rejected mediation by European countries, choosing Pakistan instead as the channel for negotiations.
One of the most tense episodes for the White House was the downing of an American aircraft over Iranian territory and the subsequent operation to search for the missing pilots. In those moments, Trump recalled the failed 1979 hostage rescue mission in Tehran and noted that events of that kind “cost Jimmy Carter the election.”
During the rescue operation, the president pressed for immediate action. Yet his role in operational meetings was deliberately constrained, with information provided only in carefully measured portions out of concern that his impulsiveness could affect the course of decision-making.
Sources also say that Trump is worried about rising fuel prices and the reaction of financial markets, though he is prepared to absorb the political costs associated with that—for a time.
Within the administration, the newspaper reports, anxiety is growing over the president’s contradictory signals and the risk that the conflict could drag on even longer.