Former State Department official Aaron David Miller, asenior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested that US President Donald Trump could announce the start of military strikes against Iran in his State of the Union speech tonight.
"Rubio briefing Congress hours before SOTU, delaying his trip to Israel from Saturday to Monday, wouldn’t surprise if Trump announces beginning of strikes against Iran in speech," Miller wrote on X today (Tuesday).
"No President has ever announced the start of military conflict in a SOTU. Why would they? That’s reason enough for Trump to do it," he added.
Miller served six Secretaries of State as an advisor on Arab-Israeli negotiations from 1988-2003.
Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address at 9 pm Eastern Standard Time tonight (Tuesday).
On Monday, President Trump rejected reports that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, had warned him against going through with a strike on Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump also denied reports that he was considering limited strikes on Iran, and warned the Islamic Republic once again that if it does not make a deal, “it will be a very bad day" for them.
“Numerous stories from the Fake News Media have been circulating stating that General Daniel Caine, sometimes referred to as Razin, is against us going to War with Iran. The story does not attribute this vast wealth of knowledge to anyone, and is 100% incorrect," wrote Trump.
He added, “General Caine, like all of us, would like not to see War but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won. He knows Iran well in that he was in charge of Midnight Hammer, the attack on the Iranian Nuclear Development. It is a Development no longer, but rather, was blown to smithereens by our Great B-2 Bombers. Razin Caine is a Great Fighter, and represents the Most Powerful Military anywhere in the World. He has not spoken of not doing Iran, or even the fake limited strikes that I have been reading about, he only knows one thing, how to WIN and, if he is told to do so, he will be leading the pack."
“Everything that has been written about a potential War with Iran has been written incorrectly, and purposefully so. I am the one that makes the decision, I would rather have a Deal than not but, if we don’t make a Deal, it will be a very bad day for that Country and, very sadly, its people, because they are great and wonderful, and something like this should never have happened to them," stated Trump.