Trump Says Tehran Dragged Gulf States Into War, Outlines Iran ‘Worst Case’ as Merz Visits White House
With Trump accusing Iran of widening the conflict by striking Gulf states, analyst Paul Goble cautioned that unclear end goals raise miscalculation risks.
Kyiv Post
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US President Donald Trump met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Tuesday as Washington’s war with Iran intensified, arguing the United States struck first because he believed Tehran was poised to do so.
At the bilateral meeting, Trump said the decision came as talks collapsed.
“You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. And I didn’t want that to happen,” he said.
Pressed on what he viewed as the worst-case scenario, Trump said the danger was that a successor could emerge who is no better than the leadership Washington says it has removed.
“I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person,” Trump said, warning that “in five years you realize you put somebody in who is no better.”
Trump also accused Tehran of widening the conflict by striking Gulf states that, he suggested, had nothing to do with the war, and had been at least broadly friendly or neutral toward Iran – an apparent reference to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
“Someday they will write a story about why they did that, but they hit countries that had nothing to do with what is going on. All of a sudden they had missiles shot in, which shows you the level of evil that we are dealing with,” Trump said.
Missiles and drones strike Gulf oil sites and US missions as Iran retaliates to US-Israeli attacks; Israel hits a covert nuclear site near Tehran, conflict widens across the region.
He also claimed the strikes were being welcomed by many Iranians abroad, saying members of the Iranian diaspora in the United States were happy and had been seen holding portraits of him.
Inside Iran, internet access remained largely severed. NetBlocks, which monitors internet connectivity, said Iran’s blackout began shortly after the strikes started and was still largely in place.
US analyst Paul Goble told Kyiv Post that the military campaign is outpacing any clearly stated political endgame.
“The situation is complicated by the fact that we really don’t know what all the sides are trying to do,” Goble said.
“It is not clear, having decapitated the regime, what President Trump wants to do next – other than an abject surrender by Iran, which I don’t think is going to happen anytime soon.”
Goble said the longer it lasts, the worse it would become.
“Certainly, [Trump] will be reluctant to put American forces on the ground. Failing that, it is probably the case that the Iranians can resist for a very long time,” he said.
“So, we don’t know how this is going to play out, and the longer it goes on, the more attacks there are going to be in both directions.”
He cautioned that even Iranians who detest the ruling clerics may resist a transition they perceive as imposed from abroad.
“You may not like the ayatollahs, but you may not like having regime change imposed upon you by people that you think are your enemies – even if you hate the regime,” he said.
Goble warned that with neither side clearly stating what it would accept to end the fighting, the risk of escalation multiplies.
“It’s very, very easy to imagine that one side or the other will misread the intentions that aren’t being very clearly expressed on either side – do something that will transform this clash into something far worse than it is right now,” he said.
As the confrontation entered its fourth day, US Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a post on X that American forces had struck “nearly 2,000 targets” in Iran and destroyed 17 Iranian ships.
“Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman,” he said.
The intensifying campaign is also sharpening a domestic political test in Washington. A Senate vote on a War Powers Act measure is scheduled for Wednesday; a move aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to wage military operations without authorization – though supporters acknowledge they face an uphill battle.
Sevinj Osmanqizi is a journalist covering US foreign policy, security, and geopolitics, with a focus on the broader post-Soviet space. She reports on Washington’s decision-making and its implications for Ukraine and regional stability.
