Trump Iran Strike Uncertainty: Will He Do It or Won’t He?

Former US national security advisor John Bolton says no decision is final in Trump administration until it’s final

By MANISH ANAND

New Delhi, February 20, 2026 — The Middle East tension is spiking amid rising speculations over the US plans to attack Iran. Talks failed. Tehran refused demands of Washinton. Warships are in waters in the Gulf. The world is waiting for US President Donald Trump to writes his next ‘Breaking News’ post on Truth Social.

CNN in a report said that the American attacks on Iran are imminent. They can come as early as this weekend. That gives a timeline of next 48 hours — maximum.

Will Trump order an attack on Iran? Even the best of the American security experts doesn’t the answer. John Bolton also doesn’t know the answer.

“He had once announced that an attack is underway. Then he revised. The decision was changed,” Bolton told CNN. Bolton was the US national security advisor in Trump’s first term.

USS Lincoln and USS Ford have raised the war Specter in the Middle East. They are splashing waters South of Iran. Russia is also taking interest. Russian and Iranian warships joined in a naval exercise in Strait of Hormuz. That sea channel if blocked can choke the global trade.

“I can recall specifically one strike on Iran that he (Trump) approved and that was actually underway, that he reversed and tweeted about the next day. So, it’s why we used to say. With Trump, no decision is final until it’s final, and then sometimes it’s still not final,” Bolton told CNN.

Unlike Venezuela, Iran is a known formidable military power. Iranian ballistic missiles fired against Israel had sent Washinton working diplomacy with Qatar for a ceasefire last year. An ex-CIA official, John Kiriakou, in a video post on X this week warned that “Iran can actually destroy the US warships easily.” He said that the hypersonic missiles of Iran can still strike despite the best of the air defence system.

In fact, Israeli Iron Dome aerial defence system had also largely failed to stop the Iranian missiles. Reports said that China shipped large consignments of defence goods to Iran last month. China has already linked up with Iran with an all-weather rail network.

With Trump risk coming in a direct fire of ammunitions backed by Russia and China from Iran? Trump had made a hasty retreat from Yemen after the US began incurring heavy losses per Middle East observers. The Houthis were not tamed in Yemen despite joint operations by the US and Israel.

US-Iran Tensions: Can American Aircraft Carriers Deter Tehran?

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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