{"id":19544,"date":"2026-03-14T20:21:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T20:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/19544\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T20:21:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T20:21:14","slug":"trump-adviser-warns-of-possible-israel-nuclear-escalation-in-iran-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/19544\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Adviser Warns of Possible Israel Nuclear Escalation in Iran Conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-announces-new-ai-crypto-czar-what-we-know-1996473\" id=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-announces-new-ai-crypto-czar-what-we-know-1996473\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">David Sacks<\/a>, President Donald Trump\u2019s czar for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, warned of Israel contemplating using a nuclear weapon in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/iran-war\" id=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/iran-war\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iran War<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">During an appearance on the podcast All In, Sacks spoke about the \u201crisks\u201d of an \u201cescalatory approach\u201d in the conflict. \u201cIsrael could get seriously destroyed,\u201d he said, before adding, \u201cAnd then you have to worry about Israel escalating the war by contemplating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/welcome-to-a-global-nuclear-arms-dilemma-opinion-11471582\" id=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/welcome-to-a-global-nuclear-arms-dilemma-opinion-11471582\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">using a nuclear weapon<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Newsweek has contacted the White House, the Pentagon and the office of the Israeli prime minister outside of normal business hours for comment via email.<\/p>\n<p>Why It Matters<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Conflict has spread across the Middle East and is continuing to intensify, after the U.S and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, and killed Supreme Leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/ayatollah-ali-khamenei\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img id=\"11678065\" alt=\"\" caption=\"A general view of Tehran with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, on March 02, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.\" credit=\"Contributor\/Getty Images\" sourcealt=\"\" sources=\"[]\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4456\" height=\"2723\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2264385014_c3002e.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">The fallout has been immediate and far-reaching, from civilian and military casualties to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/americans-face-perfect-storm-of-travel-chaos-11653550\" id=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/americans-face-perfect-storm-of-travel-chaos-11653550\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">travellers being stranded<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/oil-prices\" id=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/oil-prices\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">oil prices skyrocketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Trump has sent mixed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/what-does-victory-in-iran-look-like-for-trump-four-endgames-11653266\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">signals about the scope and planned duration<\/a> of the conflict. On Wednesday, he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-pauses-speech-kentucky-medical-emergency-11663147\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">supporters in Hebron, Kentucky,\u00a0<\/a>that the conflict was effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-claims-victory-iran-war-we-won-kentucky-speech-11663426\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">over almost as soon as it began<\/a>. \u201cWe won, in the first hour it was over, but we won,\u201d the president said, before adding, \u201cWe don\u2019t want to leave early, do we? We\u2019ve got to finish the job.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">With Americans divided along party lines and the majority of polls showing opposition to be higher than support, Sacks&#8217;s remarks come at a moment when tensions are high, and his candid comments about the war and the possibility of nuclear strikes could prompt concern from many in response.<\/p>\n<p>What To Know \u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Speaking on the podcast, Sacks said: \u201cThis is a good time to declare victory and get out, and that is clearly what the markets would like to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">He then said that there is a \u201cfaction of people,\u201d largely in the Republican Party, who want the war to escalate. \u201cI just want to lay out, I think, some of the risks of what an escalatory approach could entail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">He then speaks about the risk to oil and gas infrastructure, as well as water infrastructure and access for neighbouring countries, and the potential of continued retaliation from Iran to the Gulf states if their oil is hit or impacted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Sacks then spoke about the conflict&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/israel\" id=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/israel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">impact on Israel<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to know exactly how much damage Israel is taking right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">\u201cWe\u2019re only two weeks into this. If this war continues for weeks or months, then Israel could just be destroyed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">On the contemplation of using a nuclear weapon, he said it would be \u201ctruly catastrophic,\u201d adding that there are \u201ca lot of really frightening scenarios about where escalation could lead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">The remarks have widely circulated online and prompted a concerned response.<\/p>\n<p>What People Are Saying<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Tom Wright, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, in a post on X viewed over a million times: \u201cJaw dropping comments on the Iran war by the Trump administration\u2019s AI czar David Sacks earlier today on the All In podcast. Warns a faction is trying to get Trump to escalate in Iran, says it could render the Gulf uninhabitable and Israeli nuclear use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Bonchie, a writer for Red State, in a post on X: \u201cDavid Sacks is basically Douglas Macgregor, but with a slightly better facade. He&#8217;s on like his 18th prediction of world war and nuclear usage at this point. Almost none of what he says here is based in reality regarding Iran&#8217;s actual capabilities, nor those of the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Dr Andreas Krieg, an author and academic, in a post on X: \u201cWhen the choice is between a nuclear strike and a diplomatic offramp in a war you cannot win, I think the choice is clear. The international community has to stand united against the US and Israel to stop this madness<\/p>\n<p>What Happens Next<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">It is currently unclear how long the war will last, or what next steps look like, but neither side has signalled a retreat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"David Sacks, President Donald Trump\u2019s czar for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, warned of Israel contemplating using a nuclear&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[38,196,37,1258,9777,8889,5557,309],"class_list":{"0":"post-19544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-donald-trump","9":"tag-iran-war","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-nuclear","12":"tag-nuclear-attack","13":"tag-nuclear-war","14":"tag-nuclear-weapon","15":"tag-trump-administration"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116229392501243552","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}