Trump's Iran Strike Dynamites Own Doctrine, Risks Wider Conflict, French Analysis Claims

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent decision to order airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities represents a dramatic reversal of his long-professed "America First" doctrine and risks plunging the United States into a new, protracted Middle East conflict, according to the French newspaper Libération. 

The Libération analysis reports that Trump, who repeatedly promised to extricate the U.S. from "endless wars," authorized the bombing of three key Iranian nuclear sites—Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—using powerful 14-ton bunker-buster bombs around June 21-22, 2025. This action, Coste writes, came just two days after Trump publicly stated he needed two more weeks to decide on how to handle Iran's nuclear program amidst escalating missile exchanges between Israel and Iran. The strikes expose approximately 40,000 U.S. troops in the region to potential Iranian reprisals.

Coste highlights the apparent contradiction with Trump's core political messaging. Trump, who built his career denouncing the Iraq War and famously proclaimed in his 2019 State of the Union that "great nations do not get involved in endless wars," is now seen as potentially initiating one. The analysis suggests Trump was caught off-guard by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's determination to strike Iran, with Netanyahu reportedly informing Trump of his intentions in a June 9 phone call. While Trump's administration, via Secretary of State Marco Rubio, initially described early Israeli strikes (dubbed "Operation Rising Lion") around June 13 as a "unilateral act," Trump appeared to slowly co-opt the Israeli offensive before launching U.S. strikes.

The Libération piece speculates on Trump's motivations, suggesting a desire to "spectacularly weaken, even contribute to the collapse of, the Islamic Republic" to bolster his legacy, a goal possibly encouraged by Israeli counterparts. Domestically, Trump faces the challenge of reassuring his largely isolationist base, many of whom were drawn to his previous anti-war rhetoric. The article notes a three-hour meeting between Trump and former advisor Steve Bannon, a key voice for the MAGA base, just a day before the U.S. bombings, hinting at internal discussions about managing the political fallout. Trump's public announcement of the strikes reportedly included a reference to his 2020 order to assassinate Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, perhaps to frame this new action as decisive and limited.

However, the analysis underscores the precariousness of Trump's position. Despite any intentions to limit the operation, Coste argues Trump cannot unilaterally control Tehran's reaction or prevent an escalation that could lead to the "tragedy" in the Middle East he has warned against. The article points to Trump's previous actions, such as withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposing harsh sanctions, as having already discredited diplomatic efforts and provided Iran with a pretext to restart its nuclear program. Now, facing diplomatic "failures" in Ukraine and Gaza, Trump's Iran gambit is portrayed as a desperate move to project "strength"—a key 2024 campaign argument—that fundamentally undermines the very doctrine that brought him to power.

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