American magazine: seven questions the Trump administration must answer before a strike on Iran

The Atlantic magazine has published an article by journalist David Fromm, criticizing US President Donald Trump's remarks that the United States is ready to respond to the attacks on Saudi oil facilities on Saturday that halted the kingdom's production.

Fromm said there were seven pressing questions for the Trump administration to answer before making a decision to strike Iran.

1 / Has Iran been confirmed responsible for the attack?
Although the hypothesis of Iran's responsibility for the attack seems to be the most logical explanation, the record of both Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - which points to mistrust - makes it wise to wait and hold before blaming Iran for the attack categorically.

He questioned the extent to which American analysts confirmed that the attack was carried out by order of Tehran and not by a decision of one of its arms, acted out of his own interests.

2 / Where to abide by the agreements?
There are many formal and informal agreements linking Saudi Arabia and the United States, some dating back to the famous meeting between former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the late Saudi King Abdul Aziz bin Saud in 1945, but the two countries did not have an agreement on unconditional joint defense.

He added that when the United States intervened to protect Saudi Arabia shortly after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, it announced its intention to respond to an attack on Saudi Arabia, but that decision was made at the risk of US interests at the time.

3 / Is it approved by Congress?
Any external US military action requires congressional approval. Former US President George W. Bush returned to Congress twice: the first when he agreed to the war in Afghanistan, and the second before the Iraq war. Did Trump take congressional approval for military action against Iran?

He added that any attack on Iran to respond to its targeting of Saudi Arabia would be costly to the United States in terms of money, and is likely to develop into a comprehensive confrontation on various fronts, military and electronic.

He stressed that a decision to start a war of this magnitude exceeds the powers of the US president, and that the Trump administration is obliged to obtain the approval of Congress before that.

4 / Does the response serve the interests of America?
He pointed out that the exposure of a US ally to a military attack does not necessarily require an American response, and cited the reluctance of the United States to intervene in favor of India in the attacks on Pakistan by an example.

He added that the intervention of the United States to respond to military action against its allies is governed by several determinants, above all its own interests, and that there are a number of questions that US administrations have been asking before taking a decision in this regard, including: Can this ally defend himself? Are there non-military solutions? How important are US interests affected by the attack?

He said that the attack on Saudi Aramco's oil facilities, which caused the rise in oil prices around the world, does not amount to an event that threatens the interests of the United States, especially in light of Trump's constant reminder in his tweets on Twitter that the United States has become an oil exporter and the first in the field of production. Natural gas.

He added that high oil prices are in the interest of North American oil producing countries, and that the largest importer of Saudi oil now is China.

5 / What are the objectives?
If the aim of the military response is to punish Iran for its actions, the US sanctions against Iran have ensured that.

He added that Trump's remarks, which indicate that the primary goal of his policies towards Iran is to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, requires resorting to diplomacy and seeking a new agreement to replace the nuclear deal that was canceled.

He pointed out that a strike on Iran while Trump maintains friendly relations with the North Korean leader does not serve that goal but sends a message to the Iranians that they have made a mistake not having a nuclear weapon.

6 / Who is responsible?
The writer wondered who makes decisions in the White House under the Trump administration, which is characterized by chaos and inefficiency. He told the story of US Defense Secretary James Mattis, who received an angry call from Trump. He listened to his orders before the phone was switched off and addressed his staff: "We will not do any of that."

In a sign of contradictory decisions by the US president, the writer cited Trump's remarks, which in June confirmed his readiness to sit at the negotiating table with Iran without preconditions, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the offer at a news conference last week, but Trump denied tweets in his account. Yesterday, negotiations with Iran would be an option.

He said that an imbalance in US military capabilities requires the United States to postpone any decision to go to war until it is reformed.

7 / What angle?
It is not possible to say that US policies under Trump are in the interest of the United States, given the flow of funds from the Gulf to Trump and members of his family since 2016.

He pointed out that the possibility that the decisions taken under the Trump directed by special interests, a reason for the reluctance of America to fight any war during his rule.