As The Spectator goes to press, a great fleet of American war machines is whirring through the skies toward the Middle East. More than 50 fighter jets, plus stealth bombers and support aircraft, are joining what Donald Trump called an “armada” of US naval forces in the Arabian seas.

The White House continues to say that it is pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran. It’s possible that this latest military escalation is another of President Trump’s elaborate bluffs, designed to pressure the Iranian regime into accepting American and Israeli demands.

But the President has been unusually mute about the situation on Truth Social. It’s fair to assume that the movement of such significant assets – the biggest deployment of US forces in the region since the invasion of Iraq – means the Trump administration is serious about starting another war.

A new war in Iran could resolve itself quickly. It is just as likely to turn into another horrendous quagmire

A new war in Iran could resolve itself quickly. It is just as likely to turn into another horrendous quagmire

Reports suggest that Trump is fed up with Iran’s intransigence and that the Pentagon is braced for a sustained military campaign. Vice President J.D. Vance talks of diplomatic “red lines” that must be respected, echoing President Obama’s rhetoric on Syria.

Yet it’s increasingly clear that Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran are talking at cross purposes. America insists that........

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