War in Iran 'jeopardises the Trump presidency', ex-Obama National Security Council member says

# Analysis The warning from a former Obama administration official highlights a genuine structural vulnerability in American foreign policy during presidential transitions. When incoming and outgoing administrations hold fundamentally different views on Iran—as Trump and Biden clearly do—a major military escalation in that region could force the new president to either inherit an active conflict he didn't choose or abruptly reverse course and appear weak to both allies and adversaries. This dynamic has concrete consequences: it could constrain Trump's stated goal of pivoting toward great-power competition with China by tying down military resources in the Middle East, complicate his promised diplomatic reset with Russia, and undermine his negotiating position on issues like trade deals where he needs to project strength. More immediately, it exposes the danger of the current 10-week gap between election and inauguration, during which a lame-duck president retains full command authority but diminished political accountability—a window that can be exploited by adversaries or well-meaning officials rushing to "finish the job" before power changes hands.