Trump's gamble in Iran: Implications for the US, its allies, and a weakened Tehran

In a bold political gamble, US President Donald Trump has now entered the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, after initially distancing himself from Tel Aviv's strikes on Tehran's nuclear infrastructure earlier this month. Whether or not this was his original intent, Trump's intervention carries far-reaching implications—not just for US domestic politics and foreign policy, but also for the geopolitics of the Middle East and broader Asia. Trump's principal political challenge may not come from international criticism labelling his actions as illegal—a view echoed by the opposition Democratic Party—but rather from within his own support base, the "Make America Great…