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  "path": "/post/206782/donald-trump-military-build-up-iran",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-19T16:17:46.000Z",
  "site": "https://newrepublic.com",
  "tags": [
    "Breaking News",
    "Politics",
    "Republican Party",
    "Donald Trump",
    "Foreign Policy",
    "American military",
    "Military",
    "Middle East",
    "Islamic Republic of Iran",
    "Iran",
    "Invasion",
    "boasted",
    "_The Wall Street Journal_",
    "said",
    "raised",
    "warned",
    "list of countries that have rejected his offer",
    "swipe the country’s wealth of oil",
    "ongoing series of deadly military strikes",
    "but refuses to prove"
  ],
  "textContent": "President Donald Trump won’t stop bragging about saving lives while making plans for war behind the scenes.\n\nSpeaking at the inaugural meeting of his so-called Board of Peace in Washington Thursday, Trump boasted to world leaders about ending foreign wars around the world and saving millions of lives.\n\nAcross the world, however, the supposed peacemaker president has overseen a massive military buildup in the Middle East, with the United States military deploying 13 warships and a large fleet of aircraft. A second aircraft carrier is on the way. Trump has officially mobilized the second-greatest collection of air power in the Middle East since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, according to _The Wall Street Journal_.\n\nAt the meeting Thursday, Trump urged Iran to reach a deal through diplomacy or face military action. “We have to make a meaningful deal, otherwise bad things happen,” Trump said.\n\nTrump has reportedly yet to make a final ruling, but Israel raised its alert level Wednesday, indicating a joint attack could be imminent.\n\nWhile playing peacemaker, Trump didn’t shy away from threats altogether. Like a true mafioso, he warned dignitaries who’d refused his invitation to join the Board of Peace not to “play cute” with him. The list of countries that have rejected his offer isn’t short: it includes France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Vatican, to name a few.\n\nTrump’s self-proclaimed reputation as a peacemaker is nothing short of preposterous. In January, he ordered a deadly military operation in Venezuela in order to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro and swipe the country’s wealth of oil. Trump’s Pentagon has also mounted an ongoing series of deadly military strikes on boats the U.S. government claims—but refuses to prove—are smuggling drugs.",
  "title": "Trump Brags About Peace as More U.S. Military Builds Up Near Iran"
}