Edward Burke: Donald Trump's Iranian gamble leaves Europe exposed

This is the most dangerous and uncertain moment in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003

Uncertainty over whether Israel, or even the United States, may seek to kill Iran’s supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompted Iraq’s most influential cleric – Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani – to warn Trump that such a step would plunge the entire region into “chaos”. File photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

President Donald Trump’s war against Iran is a spectacular gamble, one that leaves America’s erstwhile allies in Europe exposed and vulnerable. It is the most dangerous and uncertain moment in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Then, US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair spent the preceding months trying to drum up support in the UN Security Council for an attack on Saddam Hussein’s regime.