U.S. President Donald Trump has launched the joint attacks on Iran with Israel to deflect attention from the Epstein case and other domestic issues that have led to his record-low approval ratings, a U.S. scholar said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Sunday.
The United States and Israel on Saturday launched strikes against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violent conflicts. Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region.
The latest flare-up came after the United States and Iran wrapped up their third round of indirect talks on Iran's nuclear program, during which Iran agreed to "never, ever have nuclear material that will create a bomb."
Peter Kuznick, professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, said he was not surprised but disappointed by the attacks, as he had hoped the nuclear issue could be resolved diplomatically.
"According to the Omani foreign minister, they were making significant progress. Maybe that's what frightened Trump, because this was a war of choice, and he wanted to be able to bomb Iran again. Trump needs to distract attention from his situation here in the United States. His approval ratings are in the toilet, at historical lows. Almost two-thirds of Americans disapprove of what he's doing on every account. In addition, the big issue here is the Epstein files. And Trump is all over the Epstein files. I knew there was going to be an attack because he needs a war or something to distract attention from what's going on here," Kuznick said.
Trump launches attacks on Iran to divert attention from domestic issues: expert
