Trump’s Iran gambit: blame, distraction, and a ‘Wag the Dog’ echo

As the dust settles – or rather, as the missiles continue to fly – over President Donald Trump’s decision to launch joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the operation is increasingly drawing fire for its apparent lack of preparation and foresight. What was billed as a swift, four-week campaign to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs has rapidly devolved into a sprawling regional conflict, with Iranian retaliatory strikes hitting Gulf allies, closing the Strait of Hormuz, and halting Qatar’s LNG production.

U.S. casualties have climbed to at least nine service members killed, with more expected, amid reports of friendly fire incidents downing American jets in Kuwait. Critics, including Democrats pushing for a War Powers vote, argue the administration failed to anticipate Iran’s proxy networks – Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq and Yemen – igniting a multi-front war with unpredictable consequences: skyrocketing oil prices, global energy shocks, stranded tourists at airports and on cruise ships, and potential economic ripple effects from Houston to Hamburg.

Trump, who campaigned on ending “endless wars,” now faces blame for an ill-conceived escalation that reeks of hubris, potentially alienating his MAGA base wary of foreign entanglements.

Yet, amid the mounting criticism, Trump may find quiet satisfaction in the chaos. The strikes have utterly eclipsed the resurfacing Epstein scandal, where newly released files mention Trump over 38,000 times, fuelling credible allegations of his involvement with underage girls and intensifying scrutiny of his past associations.

Just as the media frenzy around these revelations peaked, the Iran conflict hijacked headlines, burying the story under layers of geopolitical drama. Similarly, the ongoing war in Ukraine – which Trump vowed to resolve swiftly but has proven unable to halt, despite his “America First” rhetoric – has faded from the spotlight. With Russia making gains and U.S. aid stalled, the Iran offensive serves as a convenient diversion, shifting focus from diplomatic failures to displays of military might.

The parallels to the 1997 film Wag the Dog are uncanny, if clumsily executed. In the movie, a president fabricates a war to distract from a sex scandal; here, Trump’s real-life version feels like a bad remake, with high-stakes bombing runs overshadowing personal and policy scandals.

Celebrities like John Cusack and Rosie O’Donnell have decried it as a “wag-the-dog war” to evade Epstein fallout, while former diplomats label it a classic distraction tactic shared with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Even Trump’s past tweets accusing Barack Obama of plotting an Iran war for political gain now boomerang, underscoring the irony.

Whether intentional or opportunistic, this “weapons of mass distraction” has worked – for now. But as the regional war spirals, the blame may boomerang harder, proving that cinematic diversions rarely end well in reality.

Caption: A person holds a sign with an image of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein during a protest against United States (US) military strikes on Iran, outside of the US Armed Forces Recruiting station at Times Square in New York, New York, USA, 28 February 2026. Israel and the US military conducted joint strikes targeting multiple locations in Iran in the early hours of 28 February 2026, prompting immediate demonstrations across several US cities. EPA/DEREK FRENCH