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Notes -
Timing is everything in war, politics, and more. Just because you have an intractable enemy, it doesn't mean you should cast other priorities aside to immediately eliminate them. Trump started the war because he was convinced by Netanyahu that it was an excellent time to defeat Iran. Clearly, it wasn't.
Trump, the US, and possibly the entire oil-importing world now suffer the consequences of a poorly timed decapitation strike aimed at the IRGC. While Iran should have been dealt with eventually, the US could have waited for a more opportune moment, like a contested transition of leadership for example. It's clear that the US had already waited for a long time, but the status quo was tolerable and there was no immediate threat to US interests from Iran.
The country who benefited the most from this war's timing was Israel, who could use the US as a beat stick against Iran while they still had bipartisan pro-Israel support in US congress. Israel's support among younger republicans and the democrat base is fading, so this war is perfect for them while they can still count on the US military to soften up Iran.
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