As the conflict in Iran stretches into its fourth day and threatens to spill over into the wider region, the staggering financial and strategic costs the U.S. is incurring to fuel its military efforts are colliding with a sobering admission from the Oval Office.
But for Trump, the attack’s sweeping scale has also been accompanied by a lack of clarity as to what comes next, specifically to plug a gaping leadership vacuum without risking a reversion to Khamenei’s dictatorial rule. It’s a challenge of which even Trump is painfully aware.
“It would probably be the worst. You go through this, and then in five years, you realize you put somebody in who was no better,” Trump stated.
The absence of an endgame has also alarmed lawmakers.
