{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1623533,
        "msgid": "expert-iran-war-spirals-out-of-control-trump-overwhelmed-1773856241",
        "date": "2026-03-19 00:18:46",
        "title": "Expert: Iran War Spirals Out of Control, Trump Overwhelmed",
        "author": "Nashih Nashrullah",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Politics",
        "summary": "A senior researcher at the Cato Institute has warned that the US-Israel war against Iran has exceeded expectations, leaving President Donald Trump's administration struggling to manage an increasingly uncontrollable situation. The administration had anticipated a swift victory but was surprised by Iran's resilience and unexpected attacks on neighbouring countries, shifting focus from nuclear facilities to regime change efforts. This escalation, including a projectile strike on Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant with no reported damage, underscores the conflict's broader implications for global stability and economy.",
        "content": "<p>REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHERAN\u2014 It appears that Iran\u2019s reaction to the\nUS-Israel war has exceeded the expectations of President Donald Trump\u2019s\nadministration, which, according to Douglas Bendao, a senior researcher\nat the Cato Defense Institute, is now beginning to feel overwhelmed by\nthe increasingly uncontrollable situation.<\/p>\n<p>Both Trump and his administration officials did not anticipate that\nIran would hold out against the initial attacks, and they built their\npositions based on the belief that they would achieve all objectives in\na short time, Bendao said in an interview with Al Jazeera, quoted on\nThursday (19\/3\/2026).<\/p>\n<p>Now, with discussions about attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power\nplant in Iran, the war seems to have spiralled out of control, according\nto Bendao, who bases this hypothesis on the United States\u2019 requests for\nassistance from other parties.<\/p>\n<p>It is true that Trump and his administration officials claim that the\nwar is proceeding according to plan and has not exceeded the set\ntimeline, but Bendao says many people do not believe what Washington\nsays about the progress of the war.<\/p>\n<p>What is clear\u2014according to the American expert\u2014is that Washington is\nnot particularly focused on attacks against Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities\nduring this war, but rather on efforts to overthrow the regime; however,\nthey were surprised even by Iran\u2019s attacks on neighbouring countries\nthat they did not expect, according to the expert.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, America\u2019s statements about this war cannot be taken\nseriously because they did not account for many things that have\nhappened and are happening now, including the significant impact of the\nwar on the global economy, according to Bendao\u2019s view.<\/p>\n<p>Attack on Bushehr<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)\nstated that Iran had informed them that a projectile had struck the site\nof the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, adding that there were no reports of\ndamage to the plant or casualties among employees.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/expert-iran-war-spirals-out-of-control-trump-overwhelmed-1773856241",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}