But over the past few days, Mr Trump has broken with that worldview, threatening to attack Iran over its deadly crackdown on protesters. Mr Trump is apparently reviewing a range of military options against Tehran. But in every instance — until now — Mr Trump has claimed that US missions have been motivated by national security concerns. Even his claim over Greenland is rooted, officially at least, in the argument that US national security requires control over the Arctic island. But the role of US sanctions in devastating the lives of the very Iranians Mr Trump now claims to want to help cannot be forgotten.

Source: The Telegraph January 14, 2026 02:39 UTC