[Snorlax94]

There is a debate in the US government about escalating military action against Iran now to exploit their current weakness due to the disease ravaging the country and their government.

I was incredibly troubled by this because it would set a terrible precedent.

I hope America’s enemies aren’t as reckless as some in our current administration. With a very old president and vice president, both of whom have been near the infected, and many aged people in senior positions of leadership, we cannot have a world where countries escalate militarily to exploit the situation

Could you please offer information regarding the source of this rumor?  I'd like to read more about this debate and to know who is promoting this idea.  Thanks.

Yes of course, here’s the NYTimes article

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/world...litas.html

“ One group, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser, urged a tough response to rocket attacks that had killed two American troops at a base north of Baghdad, arguing that tough action while Iran’s leaders were battling the coronavirus ravaging the country could finally push them into direct negotiations.

But Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pushed back. The Pentagon and intelligence agencies did not have clear evidence that the attacks, launched by the Shiite militia group Khataib Hezbollah, had been ordered by Iran, they argued, and warned that a large-scale response could draw the United States into a wider war with Iran and rupture already strained relations with Iraq.”

So this is a discussion that was held to determine how we would respond to a drone attack by Iran that killed two American servicemen, right?  I would hope they are discussing all options and the tactics and ramifications of each.

The  NYTimes described the discussions as
“a tense debate erupted among the president and his top advisers on a far different subject: whether the United States should escalate military action against Iran”

I would not categorize this as a routine “considering all options.“

Additionally, I would not characterize the NYTimes as “rumors”.

[Snorlax94]

There is a debate in the US government about escalating military action against Iran now to exploit their current weakness due to the disease ravaging the country and their government.

I was incredibly troubled by this because it would set a terrible precedent.

I hope America’s enemies aren’t as reckless as some in our current administration. With a very old president and vice president, both of whom have been near the infected, and many aged people in senior positions of leadership, we cannot have a world where countries escalate militarily to exploit the situation

Could you please offer information regarding the source of this rumor?  I'd like to read more about this debate and to know who is promoting this idea.  Thanks.

Yes of course, here’s the NYTimes article

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/world...litas.html

“ One group, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser, urged a tough response to rocket attacks that had killed two American troops at a base north of Baghdad, arguing that tough action while Iran’s leaders were battling the coronavirus ravaging the country could finally push them into direct negotiations.

But Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pushed back. The Pentagon and intelligence agencies did not have clear evidence that the attacks, launched by the Shiite militia group Khataib Hezbollah, had been ordered by Iran, they argued, and warned that a large-scale response could draw the United States into a wider war with Iran and rupture already strained relations with Iraq.”

So this is a discussion that was held to determine how we would respond to a drone attack by Iran that killed two American servicemen, right?  I would hope they are discussing all options and the tactics and ramifications of each.

The  NYTimes described the discussions as
“a tense debate erupted among the president and his top advisers on a far different subject: whether the United States should escalate military action against Iran”

I would not categorize this as a routine “considering all options.“

Additionally, I would not characterize the NYTimes as “rumors”.