The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)

Trump plays down possible war with Iran

- By Deb Riechmann and Matthew Lee

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he hopes the U.S. is not on a path to war with Iran amid fears that his two most hawkish advisers could be angling for such a conflict with the Islamic Republic. Asked if the U.S. was going to war with Iran, the president replied, “I hope not” — a day after he repeated a desire for dialogue, tweeting, “I’m sure that Iran will want to talk soon.” The tone contrasted with a series of moves by the U.S. and Iran that have sharply escalated tensions in the Middle East in recent days. For the past year, national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been the public face of the administra­tion’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. The friction has rattled lawmakers who are demanding more informatio­n on the White House’s claims of rising Iranian aggression. Top leaders in Congress received a classified briefing on Iran Thursday, but many other lawmakers from both parties have criticized the White House for not keeping them informed. Iran poses a particular challenge for Trump. While he talks tough against foreign adversarie­s to the delight of his supporters, a military confrontat­ion with Iran could make him appear to be backtracki­ng on a campaign pledge to keep America out of foreign entangleme­nts. Lawmakers and allies, however, worry that any erratic or miscalcula­ted response from Trump could send the U.S. careening into conflict. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal last year and reinstated sanctions on Tehran that are crippling its economy. Tensions rose dramatical­ly May 5, when Bolton announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group would be rushed from the Mediterran­ean to the Persian Gulf ahead of schedule in response to “a number of troubling and escalatory indication­s and warnings,” without going into details. Since then, four oil tankers, including two belonging to Saudi Arabia, were targeted in an apparent act of sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to officials in the region, and a Saudi pipeline was attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen. The U.S. also ordered non-essential staff out of Iraq and has dispatched additional military assets to the region. The Senate will receive a classified briefing on Iran on Tuesday, according to Jim Risch of Idaho, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. The House has requested a classified briefing as well. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said briefings are necessary because informing leaders “is no substitute for the full membership of the Congress.” She said a failure to inform lawmakers is

“part of a pattern” for the Trump administra­tion “that is not right,” because the power to declare war resides with Congress. “I hope that the president’s advisers recognize that they have no authorizat­ion to go forward in any way” against Iran, Pelosi said. Trump has dismissed suggestion­s that any of his advisers, particular­ly Bolton, are pushing him into a conflict. “John has strong views on things, but that’s OK. I actually temper John, which is pretty amazing isn’t it?” Trump said recently when asked if he was satisfied with Bolton’s advice. “I have different sides. I mean, I have John Bolton, and I have other people that are a little more dovish than him. And ultimately I make the decision.” Tensions started to spiral last year when Trump pulled out of a deal the U.S. and other world powers signed with Iran during the Obama administra­tion. The deal lifted economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbing of its nuclear program.

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 ??  ?? EVAN VUCCI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One for a trip to New York to attend a fundraiser, Thursday at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
EVAN VUCCI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One for a trip to New York to attend a fundraiser, Thursday at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

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