If so, Trump, encouraged by Israel and Republican hawks, will be accused of wilfully spurning an agreement that would have peacefully ended the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear programme for the last 30 years. Others will argue that the continuance of an irredeemable and repressive Iranian regime in itself was a threat to world security.

Either way, what is extraordinary is that Trump himself, prior to the attacks, made next to no attempt to articulate or justify to the American people, to Congress or to his allies his actions or his objectives.