To Bomb or Not? Inside the Republican Debate on Iran

It looks like the United States is on the brink of launching a direct attack on Iran.

Yesterday, Donald Trump left the G7 Summit in Canada early to attend Iran-related meetings at the White House. Since then, he’s issued a barrage of escalating threats on social media—including a call to evacuate Tehran (a city of nearly 10 million people!); a demand for Iran to “unconditionally surrender;” and a thinly veiled threat to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei.

An attack now seems imminent. If Trump follows through, it would lay bare a major rift within Republican foreign policy. Until recently, the “America First” wing seemed ascendant, sidelining the hawks. But that dynamic may be shifting.

My guest today is Andrew Prokop of Vox, who recently wrote a deep dive into the GOP’s foreign policy divide. In our conversation, we explore the history of these two Republican camps—and how the debate over Iran is playing out now. We also discuss the potential domestic fallout of dragging the U.S. into another Middle East war.

This is a critical moment. Our conversation offers a clear and timely look at the politics behind a possible new American war—and what it could mean for the future of Trump’s presidency.

Here’s a clip.

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