Has Trump's decision on Iran put America on the path to war?

Agree with what Bernie is saying, and nothing we have not discussed on SW.

What Bernie does not discuss, but hints at, is the fact that this is completely driven by an alignment of interests, between Israel's hard right wing and the Sunni led oil Gulf states.

The extreme Sunnis, who brought us ISIS, and the Israeli extreme right, may seem like strange bedfellows, but in fact, radical Sunni Islam, has no interest in anything beyond its current borders, and as long as it is given access to Islam's holy sites, it cares very little about what happens to the West Bank. After all, they treat the Palestinians who work in their countries, as if they're disposable.

Trump just wants to be Trump. His Middle East policy, is dictated by a number of extremists, and this includes his former bankruptcy attorney, who is now out Ambassador to Israel, and his inauguration committee Chairman, an extremist Christian of Lebanese ancestry, who can't get over what the Palestinians did to Lebanon (from his own perspective).

To Netanyahu, it's about Hezballah, and without Iran, Hezballah cannot exist. Hezballah, may be religiously driven, but the rank and file, and a good part of the leadership, are not religious fanatics. As in, you're not going to find any of them strapping explosive belts, and blowing people up in the name of religion. They are, however, committed to the end if necessary, to resisting ISIS, and whatever succeeds it, as well as driving Israel out of disputed tiny piece of land, in Southern Lebanon. They would also be happy to see a Lebanon style, single State solution in Israel.

The difference between Hezballah's wet dream and Netanyahu, is that the former is one where all religions co-exist, and the latter is one where all Palestinians are driven out of the West Bank, and Israeli Arabs are reduced through attrition.

Trump is completely clueless about what all this means, and only sees power as the only factor. This is why I don't rule war out. Both Netanyahu and Lieberman are itching to attack Iran, as it is Hezballah's master.

If Israel initiates action, short of nuking Iran, which is not something the world community is going to stand for, they will fail, and it will turn into another Iraq entanglement that will draw in both the Russians and the Chinese.

The best course of action, would have been to leave things be. Iran's secular middle class grows stronger by the day. When the treaty sunsets, the likelihood is that the Mullhas will no longer be in power, and in their place, will be a secular democracy, not another quest for the bomb.

We all but guaranteed that this is not going to happen, unless Europe manages to control the situation.

PS: yes, the current Iranian regime is bad, their support for Hezballah is bad, their support for Assad is bad. It is up to Europe now to negotiate an exist for Assad, that guarantees Syria's minorities, will not be under an extremist Sunni majority, and addresses Hezballah's issues with Israel. We, the US, are no longer a reliable and impartial broker.