‘Biggest decision of his life’: Mark Halperin says Trump’s leverage over Iran is unprecedented

Political analyst Mark Halperin appeared on Fox News Thursday to discuss the gravity of President Donald Trump’s decision on Iran.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether to involve the U.S. directly in the Israel-Iran conflict. During an appearance on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Halperin said there’s a powerful military option that’s been under Pentagon study for decades but never deployed.

“It’s the biggest decision of his life, not of his second term, not of his presidency, [but] of his life,” Halperin said. “And here’s ambiguity, no one’s ever used this weapon in this way. And it’s been studied by the Pentagon for decades, but we don’t know, and he doesn’t know. He likes ambiguity for others. He doesn’t like it for himself.”

The real power at Trump’s disposal, Halperin said, lies in the unprecedented leverage he holds over Iran, something no previous U.S. president has had since the Iranian Revolution.

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“I think the president has done what his predecessors could not do. He has leverage over Iran, unprecedented, since this became a problem, since the Shah was deposed. He’s got it in part because the proxies are weakened,” Halperin added.

Halperin discussed the strategic advantage Trump has gained over Iran.

“He’s got it in part because Israel has laid down a massive predicate controlling the airspace, etc. But he’s also done it through his own actions. And now he’s not in any rush, as they said today at the White House,” Halperin said. “He can wait and see how this plays out and basically say to Iran ‘You can do this the hard way by negotiating essentially a surrender, or the harder way, through U.S. military action.’”

On Monday, Trump called for the immediate evacuation of Tehran, saying that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon.” This statement came after Israel launched preemptive strikes last Thursday, targeting several Iranian military sites and killing top commanders, including IRGC leader Hossein Salami and Major Gen. Mohammad Bagheri.

As Israel intensifies its actions, the U.S. has reportedly deliberated whether to participate and target Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also indicated that eliminating the ayatollah remains an option.

To effectively strike the Fordow facility, Israel would likely require U.S. bunker buster bombs, given the site’s robust defenses. Trump had set a 60-day ultimatum for Iran to negotiate over its nuclear program, which expired just prior to Israel’s military offensive.