Diplomat Richard Haass rebuked the Trump administration’s approach to its military operations against Iran.
“When you go to war without Congress, without the public, without allies, when your objectives constantly churn and change, you basically are going to war without a cushion,” the former president of the Council on Foreign Relations told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday evening.
“And if and when things last longer or start to head south … who do you appeal to? What do you say?” Haass continued. “And I think this administration is paying a price for the lack of preparation in every sense of the word.”
The U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran at the end of February, following failed nuclear deal negotiations. President Trump has refused to rule out sending ground troops into the country during the conflict, moving to deploy 2,000 paratroopers to the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) area this week amid ongoing peace negotiations between the two countries.
Around 50,000 troops are already stationed in the Centcom area, and 200 U.S. military service members have been injured during these military operations, with the majority of these injuries being “minor,” according to Centcom spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins.
On Thursday, Trump adviser Steve Witkoff confirmed that the White House sent over a 15-point peace deal proposal to Tehran through Pakistani officials. Witkoff called the ongoing negotiations between the two countries “strong and productive.”
Tehran has issued several demands in response, including sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, a cessation of military operations against the country from Israel and the U.S., and repayment for costs incurred during the conflict.
Haass’s critique of the administration’s execution of these military operations echoes former national security adviser John Bolton’s assessment earlier this week.
Bolton told CNN on Tuesday that the stalled peace deal negotiations indicate the president is taking a short-term view of the conflict.
“I have a more general sense that things are being done on a day-by-day basis, that new plans are evolving, and it reflects a lack of strategic thinking before the attack began,” Bolton said on “Anderson Cooper 360.”
