Two key factors holding Trump back from attacking Iran, says expert

Deputy Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies Serhiy Danylov expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"Two factors. The electoral one, whether the public supports it or not. And clearly, most U.S. citizens are against a new Middle Eastern war. That’s the main deterrent, especially against a prolonged or poorly executed one," he said.

Serhiy Danylov also noted that Donald Trump wants to present a victory in the Iran situation but is afraid of failure.

"Trump is afraid. He really wants a victory because he has none. He needs something to cover the gaps, something to write about. So he wants it badly, but first, he’s unsure how quickly or whether there will be a victory at all. And second, he is paying attention to us, his citizens," the expert believes.

Background

On the night of June 13, Israel launched a large-scale operation against Iran, carrying out preemptive strikes on its nuclear and military facilities. Fox News reported that Israel managed to deceive Iran’s air force command by gathering its leadership for a meeting just before the June 13 strikes on the country’s military and nuclear sites. Following the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Tehran to make a deal "before it’s too late," calling the Israeli strikes highly successful.

Later, Donald Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would consider striking Iran’s underground nuclear facility in Fordo if necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Tehran does not seek to expand the conflict with Israel to neighboring countries, but is ready to take self-defense measures if needed.

On June 18, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened that possible U.S. military intervention in the conflict with Israel would have serious and irreversible consequences. That same day, during a press interaction, Donald Trump avoided directly answering questions about a potential U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.

On June 19, it was reported that high-ranking U.S. officials are preparing for a possible strike on Iran in the coming days, according to Bloomberg.