00:00Well, meanwhile, Washington's next steps still remain unclear.
00:04Donald Trump has, of course, long vowed to end Washington's involvement in foreign wars.
00:08But he more recently sent more U.S. warplanes to the region, called for Tehran's unconditional surrender,
00:13and even said that he wants something much bigger than a ceasefire.
00:17The developments then have created a widening rift amongst Republicans.
00:20They are split between those who chose Trump precisely for his isolationist stance
00:25and those more in line with neoconservatives who have long promoted more aggressive foreign policy,
00:30including through the use of force.
00:32For more on this, France 24's international affairs editor, Angela Diffley, joins me on set.
00:36Hi, Angela.
00:37So growing divide then amongst Republicans.
00:40Where does the disagreement lie?
00:42Yeah, well, as you outlined there, you know, Trump made very clear in his inauguration speech, not least.
00:50He said that America's success under his leadership would be measured by the wars that it avoided,
00:58among many other measures for success.
01:02You know, he made it absolutely clear that he is a dealmaker.
01:05He sees himself as a dealmaker.
01:07He's not really a hawk.
01:10And he does not like forever wars.
01:13He doesn't like the U.S. being tangled up in foreign affairs wars that, in his view,
01:18often have little to do with the United States interests.
01:22Set against that, of course, he has also said, not as often, but very, very many times,
01:29Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
01:33So those two things, of course, can be contradictory.
01:37We now will see which of those he prioritises in this particular situation.
01:41Polls do show that around 25 to 30 percent of Republicans and mostly MAGA supporters,
01:48but that doesn't mean every Republican, as you know, 25 to 30 percent of those do not favour
01:54the United States becoming involved in this Israel-Iran war.
02:00The other issue which is there in the background, U.S. officials say,
02:07is a sort of bubbling frustration with Israel and the United States' relationship with Israel,
02:14a worry that Israel is calling the shots and has too much power over U.S. foreign policy.
02:21Set against that, an equal number, probably, of Republicans who feel that the United States
02:28and Israel's interests are so allied that Israel is a vital ally in a very, very dangerous part of the world,
02:35and that if there is one long-standing factor which is in the United States' interests,
02:41it is maintaining that strong partnership with Israel.
02:46I would also add another thing.
02:47You know, one of the issues that is different about this is that this is Iran.
02:53The United States has a long and difficult history with Iran
02:58and suffered very many bloody encounters with Iran.
03:03It is not a popular country amongst Republican Americans.
03:07And whereas a number of Republicans and MAGA people have become rather confused
03:11by Trump's attitude to the old foe that was Russia,
03:16they're very muddled by what's going on there.
03:18Here is a clear foe, Iran, and very many in the Republican camp
03:23are quite comfortable with hitting out.
03:25So, Angela, who in particular then is speaking out
03:28and how much of an influence do you think they have over Trump?
03:30I mean, whose voice is going to win, so to speak?
03:33You know, Trump will make up his own mind,
03:35and these are just voices that he might or might not listen to.
03:40Very noticeable, of course, is Steve Bannon,
03:43who was a former top advisor of Trump.
03:46He spent time in prison for contempt of Congress
03:49because he refused to come forward with information
03:54that might have endangered Trump.
03:56A loyal supporter, but they have had their fallings out.
03:58He, Steve Bannon, is very much a representative of that worker base in MAGA,
04:04low-earning Americans who do not want their hard-earned money wasted,
04:10as they see it, on foreign adventures.
04:12They want American money spent on American needs,
04:16and they don't want their valuable hard-earned money spent abroad.
04:20We also have a very interesting yesterday, Tulsi Gabbard.
04:25She, back in March, she is the head of U.S. intelligence, as you know.
04:29She, back in March, said it does not look like Iran is near producing nuclear weapons.
04:35Trump yesterday was asked by a journalist about that,
04:38and he just brushed her aside and said,
04:41I don't care what she said, I believe they were.
04:43You know, that is something of a rebuke to U.S. intelligence as well.
04:47Trump just brushed aside that and said, I don't believe what she said.
04:51She got it wrong.
04:52If you look at, there's been an awful lot of stuff on social media,
04:55as you would expect on this.
04:57And J.D. Vance, Vice President J.D. Vance, has given something much more nuanced.
05:02He has basically said, I understand all the reservations about engaging in foreign wars.
05:06This is not what MAGA was about.
05:08But we should trust Donald Trump's judgment on this.
05:14Apart from that, we have, you know, in Congress,
05:17both sides have introduced measures against involvement.
05:20You know, ultimately, Donald Trump will make up his own mind on this.
05:23Fox News, you know, his favorite channel and a common right-wing outlet,
05:29they are firmly in favor of intervening to hit back at Iran.
05:35You know, that is a long-standing position in the United States
05:38and still firmly espoused by those on Fox News.
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