A former Trump administration official has claimed Donald Trump is being drawn ever deeper into the conflict with Iran because foreign adversaries know exactly how to exploit his personality. The insider argues that America's enemies have discovered a simple tactic: keep provoking the US President and the war keeps going. The article claims the conflict, which Trump allegedly promised would end within days, has now stretched into its fifth month because Iran benefits from prolonging it. According to the former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff, Tehran understands that personal insults directed at Trump can shape his reactions and influence US decision-making. Drawing on experiences from Trump's first term, the author says foreign governments quickly split into two camps. America's allies allegedly relied on flattery, carefully praising Trump during meetings and state visits because they believed it produced diplomatic results. America's adversaries, the author argues, chose the opposite approach. Instead of compliments, they used public insults and provocations designed to trigger emotional responses from the President and disrupt policy discussions. The writer recalls White House meetings that were intended to focus on government business but instead became dominated by discussions about criticism from foreign leaders and how the administration should respond. According to the account, issues of policy were sometimes overtaken by questions of retaliation and public image. North Korea is presented as the first major example. The article says Pyongyang combined missile launches with public insults, including branding Trump a "dotard", before later changing tactics by offering diplomatic engagement through high-profile summits and personal correspondence with Kim Jong-un. The author claims Iran has now adopted a similar strategy. Since fighting began in February, Iranian state media has allegedly circulated videos mocking Trump, while murals in Tehran have depicted his death and threatened his family. The article also argues that reported assassination plots have been publicised deliberately because attracting attention is itself part of the strategy. The piece further claims the Trump administration offered Iran a reconstruction package worth hundreds of billions of dollars in exchange for commitments Tehran had previously made and for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. It says Iran rejected the proposal and argues that such a refusal suggests outside backing. The author points to Russia and China as Iran's key supporters. Reference is made to a 20-year strategic partnership signed between Russia and Iran before Trump's second inauguration, Iranian purchases of Russian air defence systems worth almost $590 million, reports that Moscow shared intelligence and drone tactics, and China's continued purchases of sanctioned Iranian oil. According to the article, Moscow and Beijing benefit if the United States remains tied down in the Gulf because it limits Washington's ability to support Ukraine, reinforce the Pacific and respond to tensions over Taiwan. The author predicts Iran will continue a strategy of keeping the conflict active enough to prevent US withdrawal while avoiding a decisive confrontation. Looking ahead, the writer argues Trump is unlikely to change course because advisers were never able to persuade him to abandon personal grievances during his first presidency. Instead, the author says pressure from Republican lawmakers and Congress over continued war funding may represent the only realistic route to limiting further escalation. I worked with Trump. I know why he is being so easily goaded into a forever war
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