John Scarlett

“Iran appears to be the only country that may have been prepared for the current conflict.”

“I was surprised when I first heard that Donald Trump and Israel had attacked Iran last month, not because of the attack itself but because negotiations were ongoing.”

“There was quiet optimism about progress in Iran-U.S. talks about capping Tehran's nuclear capabilities to prevent it from building nuclear weapons.”

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was concerned President Trump was reluctant to go into Iran, but then Trump suddenly did.”

“I theorized that some intelligence may have swayed Trump or that there was a misunderstanding or over-interpretation of negotiations in Muscat.”

“I referenced reporting from Marco Rubio that they were convinced the Israelis were going to attack anyway.”

“Iranian proposals may have suggested some flexibility towards a nuclear deal comparable to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which could have been interpreted by the White House as a rejection of U.S. demands.”

“Almost nobody expected the conflict to happen in quite the way it has, with wisdom of hindsight being right.”

“Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz by targeting ships, and there was a lack of planning for this vulnerability, which includes the West.”