{"id":22427,"date":"2026-03-29T19:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T19:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/jon-karl-digs-into-sun-tzu-to-wrap-his-brain-around-trumps-iran-strategy\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T19:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T19:14:15","slug":"jon-karl-digs-into-sun-tzu-to-wrap-his-brain-around-trumps-iran-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/jon-karl-digs-into-sun-tzu-to-wrap-his-brain-around-trumps-iran-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon Karl Digs Into Sun Tzu To Wrap His Brain Around Trump\u2019s Iran Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl referenced Sun Tzu and \u2018The Art of War\u2019 as he struggled on Sunday to piece together a cohesive strategy from President Donald Trump\u2019s statements regarding his potential next moves in Iran.<\/p>\n

Karl, on Sunday\u2019s broadcast of \u201cThis Week,\u201d presented a number of seemingly-conflicting statements and movements, saying that at times it was impossible to tell whether the Trump administration was planning to bring Operation Epic Fury to an end or further escalate the military action against the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n

WATCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cListening to President Trump\u2019s words at any given moment, it sounds like the war is about to end \u2014 or it\u2019s about to intensify.\u201d<\/p>\n

One month into the war with Iran, @JonKarl<\/a> breaks down Trump\u2019s often conflicting statements about the war\u2019s developments.https:\/\/t.co\/LMawxMOHLc<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XuToAZZKLy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIn \u2018The Art of War,\u2019 Sun Tzu wrote that a leader\u2019s plans must be as dark and impenetrable as night,\u201d Karl began, saying that Trump might not be basing his strategy on Sun Tzu but his plans were certainly difficult to pin down.<\/p>\n

Karl highlighted the conflicting statements about developments in Iran, saying that Trump spent half the time talking about how many objectives had already been achieved \u2014 some, as he\u2019s said on several occasions, ahead of schedule \u2014 while quietly moving to build up troops in the area, and perhaps signaling a coming escalation.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust consider his words over the past ten days,\u201d Karl said. \u201cOn March 20th, he declared that he was \u2018close to meeting his military objective and considering winding down our military efforts in the Middle East.\u2019 The very next day he announced a major escalation, threatening to \u2018hit and obliterate\u2019 Iranian power infrastructure if the regime did not fully open the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just days later, Karl noted, Trump had announced that he\u2019d been having \u201cproductive\u201d conversations with officials regarding bringing hostilities to a close \u2013 but then extended the deadline more than once.<\/p>\n

\u201cListening to President Trump\u2019s words at any given moment, it sounds like the war is about to end \u2014 or it\u2019s about to intensify,\u201d Karl remarked.<\/p>\n

Since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, Trump and a number of his surrogates \u2014 including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth have repeatedly made it clear that they would not, at least publicly, remove any military or diplomatic options from the table. That in conjunction with Trump\u2019s apparently-conflicting statements and actions suggest that he has, in fact, taken \u201cThe Art of War\u201d to heart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n