Trump said in a post today: "The fake news media have been spreading a large number of reports claiming that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Kahn, opposes our war with Iran."
These reports have not attributed this so-called "mass of information" to any reliable source, and they are 100% wrong. General Kahn, like all of us, does not want to see a war, but if a decision is made to take military action against Iran, he believes it would be an easy victory.
He knows Iran very well because he was in charge of the "Midnight Hammer" operation, which was the strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. These facilities no longer exist; they were reduced to fragments by our powerful B-2 bombers. Lazine Kahn is an outstanding general who represents the world's strongest army.
He has never said not to take action against Iran, nor has he mentioned the so-called false "limited strikes" that I have seen. He only knows one thing: how to win. If ordered, he would lead the way. All reports about possible war with Iran are wrong, and they are intentionally wrong reports.
The person making the decision is me. I would rather reach an agreement, but if we cannot reach an agreement, it will be a very bad day for that country, and unfortunately, for its people as well — because they are excellent and kind people, and this should not have happened to them."
Comment: Trump's remarks essentially serve as a strong statement aimed at unifying domestic public opinion and applying maximum pressure abroad. On one hand, he binds senior military officials to his decision-making on Iran, denying so-called cautious voices and emphasizing that the war could be easily won. On the other hand, he uses his position as the decision-maker to make threats, using the options of reaching an agreement or taking military action as dual deterrence. Although it appears to leave room for negotiation, it actually brings the military threat to the forefront, both suppressing internal divisions and further escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1857960938000649/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.