Donald Trump Refers To ‘Calm Before The Storm’ After Military Meeting, As Tensions Over Iran Nuclear Deal Rise
Donald Trump made comments alluding to the “calm before the storm” after meeting with military officials at the White House, with the cryptic remarks generating speculation that Trump could be planning an aggressive strategy to deal with Iran.
Trump made the remarks on Thursday after a meeting with U.S. military leaders, Politico noted. During a photo-op in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Trump hinted that there could be some military turmoil ahead.
“Maybe it’s the calm before the storm,” Trump said, adding, “We have the world’s great military leaders in this room.”
But when reporters tried to press Donald Trump about the meaning of the phrase, the president only answered, “You’ll find out.”
Politico noted that Trump’s remarks came as he was weighing whether to decertify the Iran nuclear deal, which was one of the chief promises from Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
As the New York Times noted, Trump is planning to pursue a multi-pronged strategy to put pressure on Iran.
“The strategy is an effort by the Trump administration to make the nuclear agreement only part of a multidimensional approach to pressure Iran on many fronts, including its missile program, its support for militant groups like Hezbollah and its intervention in the Syrian civil war on behalf of the Assad government.”
The report indicated that Donald Trump is likely to try finding some middle ground that does not bring America into conflict with the other countries signed onto the Iran nuclear deal, but still makes him appear tough on Iran. But there have already been some fears that others may be steering Trump toward war with Iran.
In September, Trump met with Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu, and Iran was a major point of discussion. That came as a worry to many, including National Iranian Council President Trita Parsi, who wrote in the Huffington Post that Netanyahu was pushing for war with Iran.
“With Trump in the White House, he finally has a receptive ear for his shifting and contradictory arguments to push the U.S. into yet another war in the Middle East,” Parsi wrote.
Trump has until October 15 before he officially decides whether the decertify the Iran nuclear deal.
President Trump, while taking photos alongside military commanders, cites "the calm before the storm" https://t.co/kfJN0jrdII pic.twitter.com/LZox2Z1pe2
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 6, 2017
There is still no clarification from the White House regarding what Donald Trump meant in his “calm before the storm” comments, but some have noted that Trump appears to have a tendency to speak freely, and often incorrectly, regarding official White House policy. That was the case earlier this week, when Trump seemed to imply that he would work to have Puerto Rico’s debt forgiven before Trump’s own budget chief, Mick Mulvaney, walked back the comments and said there are no plans to forgive the debt.
[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
