Trump on Iran: Decision Nearing to 'Finish It Off' or Make a Deal
The Facts
- U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that he faces a decision on Iran, saying the choice is whether to "finish it off" or make a deal. He later said "there will not be a strike today," though didn't rule out military action at a later date.
- Trump also claimed that the U.S. controls the Strait of Hormuz and knows "exactly what's going on" at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. Centcom chief Adm. Brad Cooper visited the strait Sunday, stressing continued freedom of navigation.
- In Georgia on Saturday, Trump defended withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal "just in time," saying the U.S. had obliterated Iran's enrichment capacity. He also contrasted his approach with former President Barrack Obama's policy.
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The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
All that chest-thumping about Iran having no cards is pure fantasy. Control of the Strait of Hormuz, enriched uranium and a fully fledged regime left standing after America pursued conflict reveals Tehran's remaining leverage. Presidential bluster about finishing them off only guarantees no deal will ever be signed, leaving America a choice between backing down or torching the global economy.
Pro-Trump narrative
Peace through strength is working and Tehran knows it. U.S. intelligence of buried nuclear sites combined with control over the Strait of Hormuz produces leverage no amount of Iranian posturing can match. Handing Iran's regime a simple but firm choice, a deal or destruction, is the only language it has ever respected.
