Neocon Advisers Push for Military Action Against Iran

Reports suggest that some influential neoconservative voices are advising President Trump to escalate military action against the Iranian government, following unsuccessful negotiation attempts.

In the ongoing tensions with Iran, Trump has been consulting prominent neocon hawks such as Gen. (Ret.) Jack Keane, Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, as noted in an Axios article released Tuesday. The report indicates that “all are advising Trump to take some kind of military action to try to break the current deadlock.”

Graham is certainly the more recognizable figure, as he seems ready to support military interventions just about anywhere. Thiessen and Keane, while both affiliated with Fox News, are less well-known. But, if Axios’s reporting holds true, their input could significantly shape Trump’s decisions.

Throughout the conflict, Thiessen has persistently suggested that Trump consider targeting Iranian negotiators if talks fail. Recently, Trump shared one of Thiessen’s tweets in which he stated, “If there are two factions in Iran, one that wants a deal and one that doesn’t, let’s kill the ones who don’t want a deal.”

Keane echoed this sentiment, urging Trump to resume military strikes as a means to break the stalemate, labeling the idea of eliminating negotiators a “reasonable path” during a Fox News segment.

Thiessen notably supported the Bush Administration’s decision to invade Iraq, having worked as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He’s also a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank with neoconservative roots.

Keane played a significant role in the Bush administration’s complicated nation-building efforts and criticized the withdrawal from Iraq as a “strategic failure.” He now chairs the Institute for the Study of War, which has connections to the defense sector.

According to Axios, Trump is expected to receive new military action plans regarding Iran from CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper. This raises some concern, as many might question the wisdom of having advisors who contributed to the significant foreign policy challenges the U.S. has faced in recent years.