Trump Advisors Want Israel To Attack Iran First To Provoke Iranian Retaliation Against US Assets
by Dave DeCamp
February 26, 2026
Senior advisors to President Trump would prefer if Israel attacks Iran to launch a war against the Islamic Republic rather than having the US lead the opening airstrikes, POLITICO reported on Wednesday.
The thinking is that if Israel starts the war and Iran retaliates against the US, the “politics” would be better for the administration, and it would be easier to justify the war to the American people.
“There’s thinking in and around the administration that the politics are a lot better if the Israelis go first and alone and the Iranians retaliate against us, and give us more reason to take action,” a person familiar with the discussions within the administration told POLITICO.
Polling shows that the idea of a war with Iran is extremely unpopular among Americans and that US voters don’t want to risk American lives to bring about regime change. Support for Israel has also sharply declined in recent years, so a war that Israel leads the US into would also likely have very little support.
Despite the negotiations with Iran, the POLITICO report said that the belief among senior officials is that “we’re going to bomb them,” according to one of the sources, who also acknowledged the risk of major US casualties.
Continue reading at: news.antiwar.com
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Says Geneva Talks Were the Most Serious Yet
The US and Iran are set to begin technical talks on Monday, but the threat of a US attack remains
by Dave DeCamp
February 26, 2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that the talks between US and Iranian officials in Geneva were one of the most “serious” rounds of negotiations yet, though the threat of a US attack on Iran remains, as there were no signs of a major breakthrough.
Araghchi told Iranian TV that the talks “made very good progress and entered into the elements of an agreement very seriously, both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field.”
The Iranian diplomat said that another round will likely be held next week and that US and Iranian technical experts will meet in Vienna on Monday to discuss the details of a potential deal. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the negotiations, also spoke positively of the talks, saying “significant progress” was made.
Continue reading at: news.antiwar.com
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Senate Majority Leader: Any War with Iran Should Result in Regime Change
by Kyle Anzalone
Feb 26, 2026
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that any strikes on Iran should be aimed at causing regime change in Tehran.
“In my view, if you’re going to do something there, you better well make it about getting new leadership and regime change,” the Senator said on Thursday. “If you’re going to take some sort of action, I think you want to achieve a result that actually brings about the transformational change that I think we want in the region.”
Thune is among several Senators who have argued that Tehran is historically weak, and President Donald Trump should order an attack on Iran to cause regime change. “The Ayatollah lost to Israel in the 12-day war. They are weaker. The regime is weaker than it ever has been. And what I’ve urged the president, do not miss this opportunity,” Cruz told CNBC host Joe Kernen on Wednesday. “If the Ayatollah is removed from power, it will make America much safer.”
Trump is threatening to attack Iran if Tehran does not agree to a deal that severely restricts its civilian nuclear program in exchange for minimal sanctions relief.
Continue reading at: libertarianinstitute.org
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