Trump insider names the person he 'trusts the most' and reveals what really persuaded him to bomb Iran
Donald Trump 's most trusted confidant is CIA director John Ratcliffe, according to an insider who also revealed what really persuaded him to bomb Iran.
Senator Lindsey Graham, who is a staunch ally of the president, gave insight into the president's gambit during an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.
The South Carolina representative named Ratcliffe when asked 'who Trump trusts the most', saying the CIA boss 'has really risen' in the key role.
Graham said the decision to bomb three nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday 'was a team effort'. 'I think (Trump) has got a real good team, and I think he trusts his team,' the senator added.
Trump came to rely on four key advisers - Ratcliffe, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Dan 'Razin' Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Graham said Trump ultimately decided to bomb Iran because he felt the country, which is under the control of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was 'playing a game'.
Trump 'didn't think they were genuine', Graham said. He was also driven by a desire to 'reset the damage done' by the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021, according to the senator.
'You'll be a new sheriff in town, and this will reset our relationship with the rest of the world,' Graham said he told Trump before he decided to bomb Iran. 'Israel's done a magnificent job, but we need to have our fingerprints on this too.'
'What Trump doesn't want to do is just blunder into wars,' Graham added when asked about the president's stance on foreign interventions.
'He's very reluctant to use ground forces, which is OK with me, but he's not an isolationist.
'He's been talking about the Iranian nuclear threat for over a decade. You shouldn't be surprised he meant what he said.'
Donald Trump entered the conflict between Israel and Iran on Saturday night by using American warplanes to target Iranian facilities in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
Known as Operation Midnight Hammer, the strike involved more than 125 US military aircraft, along with submarines. There were no fatalities.
Iran has warned that there will be repercussions, and Trump hit back by saying that any retaliation would be met with 'even greater force than what was unleashed today'.
The Middle Eastern country launched more missiles on Tel Aviv in Israel on Sunday morning, and Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen also said they would join the retaliation.
There have already been hundreds of casualties.
Iran's health ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least 400 people and injured 3,000, while at least 24 people in Israel have died in missile strikes from Iran.
Trump said a ceasefire was coming on Monday, but Iran appeared to break this by firing several missiles at Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by firing back.
The conflict escalated 10 days ago when Netanyahu launched attacks on Iran's nuclear and military strikes.
Israel first warned people in Tehran's District 18, which comprises military buildings and residential neighborhoods, to evacuate. Hours later, the first volley of strikes were reported in the area.
Netanyahu said the attacks, called Operation Rising Lion, were an attempt to prevent Iran from building a nuclear arsenal which could threaten global stability.
'If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time,' Netanyahu said.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel 'should anticipate a severe punishment', while its foreign minister called the strikes a 'declaration of war'.
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