The headline “Donald Did What God Didn’t Want Him to Do About Bombing Iran” is audacious, provocative, and inherently theological. It implies a divine veto, a cosmic intervention preventing catastrophe. While we cannot definitively know the mind of God, the historical record reveals a moment in June 2020 where Donald Trump almost authorized a massive military strike on Iran – an action avoided, not by celestial decree, but by a complex interplay of human calculation, political pressure, and perhaps, a sliver of restraint. Examining this near-miss forces us to confront the terrifying weight of such decisions.
The Spark: Retaliation for a Downed Drone
The context was high tension. After the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) and a campaign of “maximum pressure,” Iran shot down an American RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz on June 20, 2019. The Trump administration deemed this an unacceptable act of aggression. Plans were swiftly drawn up.
The Planned Response: Disproportionate Force
According to multiple accounts, including those from key figures like then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, Trump was presented with options. The option reportedly favored by military planners and some advisors was a large-scale strike targeting multiple Iranian facilities, including radar and missile batteries. This wasn’t a pinpoint retaliation; it was a significant escalation with the potential to kill scores, perhaps hundreds, of Iranian personnel and trigger a wider war.
The Brink and the Pullback
Accounts differ slightly, but the core narrative is consistent: Trump initially approved the strikes. Aircraft were in the air; ships were positioned. Then, abruptly, he called it off. The most cited reason? He reportedly asked a general how many Iranians would die. Upon hearing an estimate of “about 150,” he deemed it disproportionate to the loss of an unmanned drone. Other factors likely played a role: concerns about spiraling conflict during an election year, potential global backlash, the lack of allied support, and perhaps internal warnings about the unpredictable consequences.
“What God Didn’t Want”: Interpreting the Averted Catastrophe
This is where the provocative headline finds its resonance, albeit metaphorically. Attributing the pullback directly to divine intervention is a matter of personal faith. However, the avoidance of the bombing raid aligns with principles many associate with divine will across faith traditions:
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Sanctity of Life: Preventing the certain loss of numerous human lives.
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Restraint and Mercy: Choosing de-escalation over overwhelming retaliation.
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Avoiding Needless Suffering:Sparading countless families grief and preventing a potential regional conflagration.
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Wisdom over Recklessness:Recognizing that the short-term satisfaction of a strike paled in comparison to the long-term, catastrophic instability it would unleash.
In this sense, Trump didn’t do what many believe a just and merciful God would notwant: initiate a massive bombing campaign based on a retaliatory impulse with potentially apocalyptic consequences. The outcome reflected a human decision aligned with ethical restraint, however complex the motivations.
The Legacy: A Fragile Peace and Unanswered Questions
The strike was called off, but tensions remained perilously high. The U.S. assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani months later, bringing the two nations closer to war than at any point in recent decades. The JCPOA lay in tatters, Iran accelerated its nuclear program, and regional proxies became more active.
The June 2019 incident remains a stark lesson:
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The Abyss is Close: Decisions for large-scale military action are made under immense pressure, with imperfect information, and with consequences far beyond the initial target.
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Restraint is a Virtue: Pulling back from the brink, even at the eleventh hour, is not weakness; it can be the ultimate exercise of responsible power, preventing untold suffering.
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Human Agency: While the headline invokes the divine, the reality was human actors – advisors presenting risks, a president making a last-minute calculation. Attributing it solely to God absolves humans of the profound responsibility inherent in wielding such destructive power.
Conclusion: A Narrow Escape, Not Divine Guarantee
Donald Trump did not bomb Iran in June 2019. He stepped back from an action that would have shattered regional stability and cost many lives. Whether this aligns with “what God didn’t want” is a theological interpretation. What is undeniable is that it was an action avoided, preventing a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster. It serves as a chilling reminder of how close we can come to the edge, and that the decision not to unleash devastating force, however it comes about, can be the most consequential one of all. The avoidance of that bombing raid wasn’t proof of divine intervention, but it was a moment where catastrophic human error was narrowly averted, leaving us to ponder the fragility of peace and the heavy burden of the button no one should ever want to push. 🇮🇷
