President Trump disregarded warnings from Vice President JD Vance and former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard when he authorized an attack on Iran on February 26.
The decision followed Israeli intelligence briefings in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that a U.S.-Israeli military operation would collapse the Iranian regime. Netanyahu’s team, including exiled former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, outlined conditions for rapid regime change: Iran’s ballistic missile program could be destroyed quickly, the regime would be too weak to choke the Strait of Hormuz, and attacks on U.S. interests in neighboring countries would be minimal.
Intelligence analysts described Netanyahu’s presentation as “farcical,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed it as “bullsht.” Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine warned that a major campaign against Iran would deplete critical weapon stockpiles and leave the military without a clear path to replenishment.
Before the attack, Trump sought Gabbard’s assessment. She cautioned that killing Iran’s supreme leader would likely foster a harder-line regime with nuclear ambitions, prompt Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, and escalate attacks on U.S. forces in the region.
The war has now lasted six months without achieving its intended outcomes. Recent reports indicate that the war has depleted nearly all of the U.S. Army’s long-range missiles—a critical asset that costs $1 million each.
