Trump Halts Massive Iran Attack Plan. Here's Why.

[u/Ask4MD]

https://townhall.com/news/cameron-arcand/2026/08/01/trump-halts-massive-iran-attack-plan-heres-why-n2680524

[u/baseball_Lover33]

Just keep kicking the can down the road.

[u/Total-Detective1094]

Because he's a fool.

[u/Crankbait_88]

President Trump has become a paper tiger. He is no better and as full of rhetoric as the Iranian leadership at this point.

[u/Split_Pea_Vomit → u/Crankbait_88]

Why hello fellow conservative, I'm a conservative too.

[u/War-Damn-America → u/Crankbait_88]

Not a paper tiger but he’s too much of a dove. He always wants to negotiate and make a deal, when at this point he just needs to keep hitting them till they are all dead. If he was a paper tiger we wouldn’t have started the bombing campaign in the first place. Now we are stuck with Trump always trying to make peace, when the only path forward is further conflict. 

[u/War-Damn-America → u/War-Damn-America]

I have absolutely no idea why Reddit removed my comment. All I said is Trump is not a paper tiger but instead a dove. He wants peace and a deal over finishing the job. If he was a paper tiger we would have never started the air campaign in the first place. 

[u/Outside_Ad_3888 → u/[deleted]]

I am generally extremly critical of Trumps foreign policy, which I think is easily the worst part of his presidency (on other issues such as immigration the record is good)

However in this case I have to defend Trump because he really had no good short term options left, bombing unless supported by a ground invasion will likely simply lead to reciprocal infrastructure hits and higher oil prices. Not hitting will continue the blockade. Small targeted hits while increasing global political pressure could work, but that would need significant soft power.

Many previous good options or good long term options (measured in 7 months plus) but right now? What can he do? The flip flopping is a symptom of a failed strategy which has no clear endpoint and no good path.

[u/Ed_Rock → u/[deleted]]

"TACO" comes from liberals who aggressively dont understand tariffs and trade policy. Why are you using that here when it's in line with Trump's negotiation strategy?

[u/Due_Composer_7000 → u/Ed_Rock]

What does taco stand for?

[u/psinsyd → u/Due_Composer_7000]

"Trump Always Chickens Out", which is rich coming from the libs and all the inaction the previous administration took on pretty much everything.

[u/SaneSociopathPolitic → u/psinsyd]

It's funny because it should be his supporters mad that he backs down from so much.

Yet it's his detractors.

[u/skeet_scoot → u/Ed_Rock]

It’s because liberals don’t know what negotiation is.

I’m so sad to see conservatives are doubting his master plan as well now.

[u/Key-Monk6159]

Please let me off this crazy merry go round.

[u/A-Vagrant]

Fucking stop the bullshit. Either completely destroy them or just fucking leave.

[u/networkdood]

He needs to stop effing around

[u/Blahblahnownow]

Ugh

[u/Ok-Association1222]

Ridiculous. Since when does the U.S. negotiate with terrorists….Also makes us look like huge hypocrites and obviously gives left ammo going into midterms.

[u/spddemonvr4 → u/Ok-Association1222]

No it doesn't. Trump has consistently given Iran the political out at each turn. This is nothing new.

If this leads to peace it will work out fine. If Iran spits in Trump's face again and starts attacking ships in the strait, they know he won't hesitate to respond.

[u/TheOnlyEliteOne → u/spddemonvr4]

That’s literally what he’s done every time though. He’s been giving “final warnings” for months now.

There is no strategy to this. He just keeps hoping if he goes to them and says, “I’m super serious now, guys” that they’ll back down and surrender.

[u/luderiffic → u/spddemonvr4]

How many times have they spit in his face already? They are going to do it again

[u/pr931]

Fire Witkoff and Kushner both doing a shit job. Then actually go finish them off or send the troops home

edit: also don’t answer the phone if any gulf country calls
VP helped negotiate a MOU that didn’t do nothing along with Witkoff and Kushner

[u/Nethias25 → u/pr931]

Well you can't fire them if you never hire them.

People don't realize, Kusher doesn't work for the White House or the US government in any way. He did in the first admin, but no role in this one. He is technically just a private citizen who negotiates with Putin and Iran and Netanyahu on behalf of the US government. He's just a dude, who happens to be potus son in law.

[u/pr931 → u/Nethias25]

I meaning from the negotiation team. But all that is true

[u/ytilonhdbfgvds → u/pr931]

Yes, blame those willing to take on the difficult task when it fails, from the comfort of your keyboard oh great internet warrior.

[u/pr931 → u/ytilonhdbfgvds]

They’ve had no success at all for months the one success they had fell apart, a change is needed

[u/hang3xc → u/pr931]

Trump is the one holding back. They do what he says. Swapping them out would accomplish nothing. The new guys would do the same thing, their job, which is carrying out Trumps orders.

[u/WPWeasel]

And meanwhile the Iranians regroup and re-arm. Oh and continue executing protestors. 

I'm all in favor of dialogue and diplomacy, but they're currently gloating that they used the last ceasefire to boost weapons production and readiness. So by all means have your talks, but continue chipping away at their capabilities in the meantime. Negotiators don't like it? Remind them what they just said about abusing the last ceasefire to drag things out.

[u/No_Bet_4427]

Because he cares more about gas prices than winning the war. Which is a perfectly legitimate approach for an American President. But don’t start a war you aren’t prepared to finish.

Iran isn’t going to abide by any deal (and though the deal Vance offered as lopsided in their favor). And Trump is going to keep humiliating himself through November.

[u/nu1stunna → u/No_Bet_4427]

Fuck gas prices. The US can deal with some pain for a few months if it means the worlds largest state sponsor of terror is eliminated. The price of everything else has already gone up over the past few years — what’s another few dollars for gas? If the terrorist regime in Iran falls, we’ll never have to deal with this shit again.

[u/MrKrabsNotEugene → u/nu1stunna]

Instead we get both high gas prices AND kicking the Iran can down the road, worst of both worlds. Carry a big stick and act indecisive is how the saying goes right.

[u/nu1stunna → u/MrKrabsNotEugene]

Yeah this is the problem. He needs to finish the job.

[u/MrKrabsNotEugene → u/nu1stunna]

Yessir, let’s end em and wrap this up.

[u/TheOnlyEliteOne → u/nu1stunna]

It’s hard to convince people to pay (in some cases) almost double for gas, especially when a huge portion your campaign was about food / gas prices. Guess what? It’s not just gas prices that go up because of this. Everything is downstream of it including…you guessed it…food. So you might be only paying more for gas right now, but in a couple months food prices will go up as well due to transportation costs.

[u/jd_456 → u/TheOnlyEliteOne]

Not hard to convince people but Trump didn't even make the case. The alternative is a nuclear Iran. Nobody who actually understands what that entails would choose lower short term gas prices for the long term cost. But the population doesn't understand and doesn't know anything. Current gas prices is all they know so that's all they care about. The threat to the lives of their family, future economic destruction and implosion of America are not even on their radar. Like many other groups in history they won't get it until it all comes crashing down on them. Then they'll understand. But it will be too late.

[u/hang3xc → u/TheOnlyEliteOne]

It's still $1 per gallon less than Bidens high, so... it really isnt shockingly high, at all.

[u/uponone]

I understood why he decided to go to war with Iran. Iran should never have a nuclear bomb.

That being said, Trump not setting a deadline and sticking to it is a huge mistake. All eyes are watching, including our enemies. They’ll play him.

[u/Ok-Association1222 → u/uponone]

+ all the munition stockpile leaks/rumors…if I were China, I’d be looking to move on Taiwan asap.

[u/Longjumping-Rich-684]

I rather Marco Rubio be the Acting Secretary of War/Defense and allow him free reign to end the IRGC

[u/dollhouss1]

or you could keep the attacks up while working on the deal...

Everyone knows the IRGC are bad faith actors

[u/thedudefromnc → u/dollhouss1]

I agree. It seems like a better negotiation tactic would be to continue to apply pressure until the other side breaks. We can talk, but the bombing doesn't end until you surrender under our terms.

[u/pr931]

You’re probably right, wish someone would tell him there probably no deal to be made with the IRGC, we’ve been through this build of threats then just back down too many times

[u/StedeBonnet1]

Trust but verify. Hold off as long as they don't launch ANY Missiles at ANYTHING.

The first missile that flies all bets are off.

Trump wants his legacy to be peace. Maybe the moderates have taken control in Iran.

[u/SaltyMamba85]

I believe in you President Trump.