There wasn’t just one person influencing Trump. The decision to attack Iran appears to have involved several people, both inside and outside his administration.
The important distinction is between those who pushed for military action, those who supported it, and those who advised caution.
The main influencers were:
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Benjamin Netanyahu – Israel’s prime minister. Pressed Trump for years to attack Iran.
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Mohammed bin Salman – Saudi crown prince. Reportedly made multiple private calls urging Trump to strike.
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Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary. Favored military action.
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Marco Rubio – Secretary of State. Helped make the case for American involvement.
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Jared Kushner – Involved in Iran negotiations and Trump’s Middle East policy.
Who opposed or urged caution?
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JD Vance – Favored a negotiated settlement.
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Tulsi Gabbard – Had long opposed military intervention against Iran.
An especially important finding: The Washington Post reported that Netanyahu and the Saudi crown prince both lobbied Trump to attack.
My assessment: Netanyahu was probably the most influential outside advocate for the attack. But Trump made the final decision.
As of November 3, these same factions are still divided over whether to resume bombing Iran
Comment: I knew on day one of the attack, the UK Europe and Israel (the deep state) did NOT like what Trump was doing, re the global economy, and they planned the attack before the midterms just to block or reverse his progress. None of the rest of the world wants America first.
Trump should have INSISTED to WAIT until after the election to NOT screw everything up and make him look bad. He obviously had no choice.
