Jonathan Swan Says None of Trump’s Top Advisers Have a ‘Clear Idea’ How to End Iran War

New York Times White House correspondent Jonathan Swan, who co-wrote the best-selling book Regime Change with colleague Maggie Haberman, told CNN Friday that none of President Donald Trump’s top advisers have a “clear idea” on how to end the war with Iran.

During Trump’s Thursday night primetime address on his election security claims, the president only briefly mentioned the war while talking about how he rebuilt the military.

“I built it during my first term and, unfortunately, we’re forced to use it now,” Trump said. “We won in Venezuela, which is now working with us to produce millions and millions of barrels of oil. We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly. America is back and doing really well.”

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer said to Swan, “In his address last night, he spoke about the war with Iran for less than 30 seconds, even though he spoke for nearly a half an hour, mostly on election interference and all of that. What do you think?”

“Well, it’s very clear he wants to get out of this war,” Swan said. “It did not turn out the way he thought it would, which was a quick collapse of the Iranian regime. He’s been looking for a way to get out, and we’ve had these endless cycles of a deal is imminent. A deal happens. There’s dispute over the deal. Bombing resumes and and rinse, repeat, rinse repeat, rinse repeat. I’ve spoken to a number of his advisors, and no one seems to have a clear idea of the way out of this war.”

The New York Times reported Friday that the U.S. “appeared to expand its attacks” against Iran late Thursday, “with Iranian state media reporting that strikes had hit two bridges in the coastal town of Bandar Khamir, as well as a railway junction about six miles west of Bandar Abbas, a port city near the strait.”

The report added, “There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.”

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