Trump was warned strike is 'high risk, high reward'

Ahead of the US attack on Iran, Donald Trump received briefings that not only delivered blunt assessments about the risk of major US casualties but also touted the prospect of a generational shift in West Asia in favour of US interests, a US official said.

- Reuters

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the briefers described the operation to the president as a high-risk, high-reward scenario.

Trump himself appeared to echo that sentiment when he acknowledged the stakes at the onset of the operation, saying “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost.”

“But we're doing this not for now, we're doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission,” Trump said in a video address announcing the start of major combat operations.