Members of President Donald Trump's inner circle are experiencing 'buyer's remorse' over the Iran conflict and are beginning to regard Operation Epic Fury as a disastrous mistake, according to a report by Axios.
The US and Israel launched surprise joint airstrikes against Tehran on February 28, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Ayatollah Khamenei on the first day. Iran retaliated with strikes against Gulf states hosting US and Israeli assets, killing 13 US servicemembers. Tehran also targeted tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, causing global fuel prices to soar.
An administration source told Axios that Trump was 'high on his own supply' when he approved the operation, assuming it would be simple after the success of last summer's Operation Midnight Hammer and the removal of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. The source said Trump 'grossly overestimated his ability to topple the regime short of sending in ground troops.'
However, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the report as 'totally false,' stating the entire administration is united behind the president. Trump boasted to the Financial Times that the US has 'decimated Iran,' but another senior official warned of an 'escalation trap' as Iran's actions in the Strait could force the US into greater force at great expense.
A prolonged engagement could backfire on Trump ahead of midterm elections, with only 29 percent of US voters supporting the operation according to an Ipsos poll. The conflict is proving divisive within Trump's MAGA movement, with influential opinion-makers trading personal insults.
