Trump's move toward confrontation with Iran looks planned months in advance, which is bad news for anyone who took his anti-war campaign promises at face value.

• The push for "maximum pressure" on Iran came within days of taking office, not as a reaction to events.
• Public statements that no war with Iran was coming ran alongside private preparations for exactly that.
• Warnings that this could turn into a war to topple Iran's government were dismissed as panic at the time.
• The official line — that this was only about destroying Iran's nuclear program — looks thinner in hindsight.

Outlook: The gap between what was promised and what is happening points to more escalation with Iran, not less.