Trump Told Attack on Iran Wouldn’t Guarantee Collapse of Regime

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Alex Ossola (0:33)

Will President Trump order a military strike on Iran?

Alex Ward (0:36)

Is he stepping back? Maybe. There is a chance that this is an off-ramp and he takes it. It's also a chance that it's a delay tactic. And there's also a chance that he's good now, but if Iran continues its crackdown, he's not good later.

Alex Ossola (0:49)

Plus, Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. And why a new way to extract copper could help feed the data center boom. It's Thursday, January 15th. I'm Alex Ossola for the Wall Street Journal. This is the PM Edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today.

It's been a busy day for the Trump administration. President Trump has been weighing attacking Iran, where the government has met widespread demonstrations with a heavy crackdown. Today, we're reporting that US and Middle Eastern officials told the White House that a large scale strike against Iran was unlikely to make the government fall and could instead spark a broader conflict. US officials said they will monitor how Tehran handles protesters before deciding on a potential attack. WSJ National Security reporter Alex Ward says there are other reasons why President Trump may be easing off.

Alex Ward (1:49)

Countries in the region are concerned about this moving forward because they don't want to see a lot of volatility in their region. Trump seems to be signaling that as long as the crackdown on protesters doesn't go forward, he's good. But we can't forget that last June, he announced to the world after the Wall Street Journal reported he had made the decision to attack, that he was actually open to two weeks of diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program, and instead went ahead and attacked Iran anyway. So I'm talking to certain officials who are telling me it's possible. They don't know for sure, but it's possible that Trump is stalling for time because there are certain amounts of military assets that he would like to see in the region that we currently don't have that could, if you were to order it, lead to a much broader scale attack on Iran and help the US protect not only troops in the region, but also allies like Israel.

Alex Ossola (2:39)

Today, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt suggested that military action wasn't off the table.

SPEAKER_6 (2:44)

The president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.

Alex Ossola (2:51)

She added that, quote, only President Trump knows what he's going to do. Trump is expected to order the Pentagon to send the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier from the South China Sea to the Middle East, a trip that would take about a week. That's according to US officials and a person familiar with the move.

Meanwhile, in Iran, the government's crackdown has forced demonstrators off the streets in some cities, although human rights groups say it's not totally clear what's happening due to the internet shutdown. Analysts say the quiet is likely temporary. In the Caribbean this morning, US forces seized another oil tanker. The Trump administration has now captured six ships in its campaign against the dark fleet that transports sanctioned oil around the world. Back home, President Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act against Minnesota. He said today on social media that he'd make a move if local officials don't stop the quote professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking ICE. WSJ national political reporter Ken Thomas says the Insurrection Act has rarely been used in the modern era.

Ken Thomas (3:52)

It's a law from 1807 that allows the president to use the military for civilian law enforcement purposes on US soil under a narrow set of circumstances. It's been used a few dozen times in our nation's history, but it's been exceedingly rare in modern history. Saw it used in the 1960s during the civil rights movement, but we have not seen it used since 1992 to deal with the civil unrest in the Los Angeles area after the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King. Now it's important to note that President George HW. Bush did this at the request of California's governor at the time, Pete Wilson.