Trump Advisers Urge Him to End US War on Iran as Oil Prices Surge

Advisers to Donald Trump are urging him to outline a path to exit the war with Iran as oil prices surge and political risks mount.

“Trump faces pressure from advisers to outline Iran war exit plan as oil prices surge”

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Some advisers to Donald Trump are urging him to outline a path to exit the war with Iran amid rising oil prices and fears of political backlash.

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Concerns about engaging in a drawn-out war come amid surging oil prices, with the cost soaring above $110 a barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 this week, heightening economic strain.

The Wall Street Journal reports advisers are urging the president to find a way to de-escalate tensions to avoid potential political backlash and electoral harm.

Trump himself has sent mixed signals, with aides and officials split over whether an exit is feasible while the campaign continues.

Trump has suggested the conflict could end “very soon,” describing the military campaign as largely successful,

The Daily Beast

even as at least one senior administration official told the Journal that Trump won’t stop fighting “until he can claim a satisfactory victory.”

White House spokespeople have pushed back on accounts of internal dissent, calling reporting based on anonymous sources unreliable.

Advisers are worried about the domestic political fallout: polling shows substantial public opposition to the strikes and a drop in the president’s approval rating, and Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about midterm implications.

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The Wall Street Journal

A CNN poll cited by The Daily Beast found that nearly six in 10 Americans oppose the strikes on Iran and that 56 percent expect a long-term military conflict is at least somewhat likely.

The president’s net approval fell to -21 points in the poll, and advisers have received calls from Republicans worried about the war’s effect on elections, while economic advisers warn rising energy costs will worsen affordability.

The human and military costs of the strikes are significant in the coverage, with alternative outlets reporting high casualty figures in Iran and U.S. service member deaths from retaliatory strikes.

The Daily Beast reports the strikes on Iran, which began on Feb. 28, have killed an estimated 1,255 people in Iran, including dozens of schoolchildren and multiple senior political figures, including Khamenei, and that seven U.S. service members have died in retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases across the Middle East.

The Daily Beast

At the same time, some officials argue a rapid withdrawal may be difficult while hostilities continue and regional tensions remain high.

Some advisers and commentators warn that an extended campaign will exacerbate economic pain and electoral risk, and economic voices inside the president’s circle have explicitly tied rising energy prices to broader affordability problems.

“Donald Trump’s advisers have been privately urging him to figure out an exit strategy for the war in Iran he started just over a week ago, a new report has claimed”

The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast quotes outside economic adviser Stephen Moore saying, “When the price of gas and oil rise, so does everything else. Given affordability was already an issue, this leads to real challenges.”

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Advisers have reportedly received calls from Republicans concerned about midterm effects, and the Wall Street Journal frames these interventions as driven by fears of political backlash and a desire to de-escalate.