Sources say that President Donald Trump is becoming “exasperated” as he did not anticipate it would be difficult to make Iran comply with his demands.
“The president is exasperated. I don’t think he believed it was going to be this difficult to get the Iranians to agree to a deal. There was not a real strategy for how long or what they should do to get to the endpoint,” an unnamed ally of the President told NBC News. “He did not intend this to be a long, drawn-out war.”
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a joint, surprise attack on Iran in February that ignited a Middle East-wide war. At the time, the leaders predicted a quick victory that would eliminate any threat Iran could pose.
However, the war has turned into a quagmire for Trump as Iran seized control over the Strait of Hormuz and the IRGC retains a significant portion of its missile capabilities. A US official speaking with NBC News explained that part of Trump’s frustration comes from his advisers’ division on what to do next.
“After all this time, there is no unity,” the official said. “We have had a series of tactical victories, but are facing a strategic defeat without clear policy guidance or a decision about where this is going.”
The source told the outset that Trump had “erupted” during a meeting with his top national security team last week and had even yelled expletives.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the reporting. “This is false. The president has a great team whom he trusts, and everyone on the team knows he’s the final decision-maker,” she said.
