The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28th constitutes the most significant military engagement ordered by Trump during his five cumulative years in power. The scale of the strikes – now numbering in the thousands – is unprecedented compared to the targeted campaigns ordered during his first term, between 2017 and 2021.
- Before the operation in Iran, Trump had authorized 724 strikes between January 20, 2025, and February 23, 2026, according to data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). This is significantly more than Joe Biden, who had ordered 555 strikes in four years.
- The U.S. military declared on Monday, March 2nd, that they had struck over 1,250 targets in Iran during the first 48 hours of the conflict.
The increased militarization of American foreign policy is accompanied by an expansion of Washington’s geographic scope of action, contrasting with the hemisphere-based doctrine emphasized by the administration and the national security strategy of January 2026.
- The latest strategy noted that the transformation of the Middle East “can only come from those who have the greatest influence in the region’s future” and that “the State Department will empower regional allies and partners to take primary responsibility for deterrence and defense against Iran and its proxies.”
Trump’s strikes were exclusively focused on the Middle East, Libya, and the Horn of Africa during his first term. In the last 13 months, he has ordered military actions in Nigeria, Venezuela, the waters off Latin America, and the Caribbean.
- Of the seven countries attacked by Trump since January 2025, three had never been targeted by American strikes: Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
The extensive use of military force to achieve foreign policy goals contradicts the platform on which Trump campaigned for re-election. The administration will struggle to integrate the conflict in the Middle East into the ‘America First’ narrative.
- As Elie Tenenbaum points out, in the national security strategy, “the defense of the homeland is symbiotically linked to dominance over the Western Hemisphere, from Greenland to Tierra del Fuego: it is the absolute priority of this strategy and a direct expression of the ‘America First’ mantra.”
Many commentators from the MAGA movement, like Tucker Carlson, and lawmakers in Congress struggle today to reconcile their support for the administration with promises made to their constituents or audience.
- In January 2023, J.D. Vance, then a senator from Ohio, signed an article in the Wall Street Journal titled: “Trump’s best foreign policy? Not starting any wars.”
- A year later, during a speech in the Senate, Vance accused the American ruling class of not learning any lessons from previous conflicts by stating: “Today, nobody is truly against war. Nobody is concerned about continuing military conflicts abroad. Nobody seems to worry about unforeseen consequences.”
In the three days of war against Iran, the U.S. military lost six soldiers and 18 were injured.
- On Sunday, March 1st, Trump warned that there will be “more” American losses before the war ends: “That’s likely how it will play out.”
- In a statement to ABC News, he added: “It’s a war, and there are losses in war.”
- Unlike two of his predecessors, George Bush and Barack Obama, who also extensively used military force, Trump never sought authorization or advice from Congress for his operations.
