The White House is in chaos tonight. Sources tell me the President has lost his grip on the Iran crisis. His own national security team is leaking furiously. They are terrified.
The story, as I hear it, goes like this. Trump wanted a 'knockout blow' against Iranian proxies. His generals warned him: escalation is a quagmire. He ignored them. Now, the strikes have not stopped the attacks. They have inflamed the region.
Here is the key detail my contacts are whispering. The British diplomatic backchannel to Tehran is still open. While Washington blusters, London is talking. The Foreign Office has kept a line to Iranian negotiators. They are trying to de-escalate. Quietly. Without Trump's knowledge, some say.
One senior Whitehall figure told me, 'We cannot be dragged into another war because of a tweet.' That is the fear. Trump's volatility is the problem. He is lashing out. His allies are running for cover.
The parliamentary arithmetic is brutal. If this escalates, the government will face a rebellion. Labour is already sharpening its knives. Tory backbenchers are nervous. They remember Iraq. They remember the dodgy dossier. They will not back another foreign adventure without a Commons vote.
What happens next? The next 48 hours are critical. Iran will test the President. They will probe for weakness. And Trump, isolated in the Oval Office, might double down. That is the nightmare scenario.
For now, Britain holds its breath. The channels are open. But for how long?
