Trump advisers said to prefer Israel attack Iran before US strikes: ‘The politics are a lot better’

Senior advisers to President Donald Trump prefer that Israel attack Iran before the US launches strikes on the Islamic Republic, according to Politico.

Citing two people familiar with the discussions, the news site says the unnamed administration officials argue that an Israeli strike would lead Iran to retaliate, helping build support among the US public for an American military offensive.

“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,” says one of the sources quoted in the report.

Both of the sources tell Politico that a joint US-Israeli operation could be a possible course of action, whether or not Israel strikes first, with one saying that though the talks with Iranians are serious, those closest to Trump believe “we’re going to bomb them.”

The report says the extent of a potential American military campaign remains unclear, citing concerns that the depletion of US munitions could encourage China to attempt an invasion of Taiwan, and that a more expansive offensive raises the prospect of casualties.

“If we’re talking about a regime-change scale attack, Iran is very likely to retaliate with everything they’ve got. We have a lot of assets in the region and every one of those is a potential target,” says one of the sources. “And they’re not under the Iron Dome. So there’s a high likelihood of American casualties. And that comes with lots of political risk.”