Trump’s Advisers Are Divided on Iran. Which Way Is the President Leaning?
“The president thus has a rare opportunity: Deal Iran a heavy blow and set its nuclear program back decades,” writes Matthew Continetti. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s top officials debate foreign policy in the group chat. The divide mirrors the president’s own conflicted view of how to handle Tehran.
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Jeffrey Goldberg has entered the chat.
The Atlantic editor had the scoop of the second Trump administration (so far) when he revealed Monday afternoon that he had been included in a Signal message group where Trump’s senior national security officials discussed plans to bomb Yemen’s Houthi militia. Since October 7, 2023, the Iran-backed militia has used missiles and drones to shut down Red Sea shipping lanes and engaged the U.S. Navy in its longest surface warfare operation since World War II.
The group chat had it all: emojis, operational plans, major national security concerns, and a breathtaking glimpse of the foreign policy divides within Trump’s inner circle.
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