US Strikes Iran as Trump Vows to ‘Finish the Job’ if No Deal Reached

The US and Iran continue their tit-for-tat fighting this week. The IRGC said it targeted an American base early Thursday, May 28, in response to the latest American attacks - themselves reportedly in self-defense. The US military launched its new round of strikes against Iran just one day before, reportedly targeting a military site and four Iranian attack drones, which threatened US forces around the Strait of Hormuz. “These actions were measured, purely ⁠defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” an official speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters.

The development comes after President Donald Trump warned during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he would “finish the job” in Iran if Washington and Tehran fail to reach a deal to end the three-month-old war that has Americans on edge as fuel and grocery prices remain high.

Iran: Prices and Peace

During his Cabinet meeting, Trump acknowledged the cost-of-living increase triggered by the Iran war, but suggested that a temporary surge in gas and grocery prices across the US is acceptable because Iran had been “two weeks” away from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “It would have blown up Israel. It would have blown up the entire Middle East. And that’s never going to happen,” the president asserted.

He predicted prices would fall “shortly after” the “excursion” in Iran ends, reiterating that, above all, the US could not let Iran have a nuclear weapon. “They would use it instantly. They wouldn’t think about it,” Trump insisted.

Iran, which Trump said is “negotiating on fumes,” accused the US of breaking the ceasefire agreement earlier this week after US forces launched “limited” defensive strikes in response to a flurry of Iranian missile, drone, and small boat launches, two US officials told NBC News. In a statement posted on Telegram, Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei – or someone speaking for him since he hasn’t been seen in months - said, “In various parts of Iran and the world … ‘Down with America’ and ‘Down with Israel’ shall become the common chants of the Islamic Ummah and the world’s oppressed, especially among the youth.”

Still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently expressed confidence that a peace deal is imminent, saying it might take “a few more days” to reach an agreement to end hostilities and open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump Erupts Over Iran Media Framing

Trump erupted this week over the legacy media’s framing of the Iran war, predicting “The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media” will spin Iran’s impending surrender as “a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America.” “The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!” the president added.

His frustration comes as the midterms approach, although the president said he is not worried about the elections, which could shape the final two years of his second term. During the Cabinet meeting, Trump said Iran’s leaders “thought they were going to out-wait me, you know. ‘We’ll out-wait him. He’s got the midterms.’” “I don’t care about the midterms,” Trump added.

Earlier this month, a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll found 60% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s performance on the Iran war. The president may say he doesn’t care about the midterms, but midterm voters definitely care about the war inflicting pain at the pump and pantry.