The motivations have ranged from the imperative to dismantle a nuclear programme that Trump claimed to have already “obliterated”, to disabling the Iranian proxy militants that US and Israeli officials say have also been dramatically weakened.

Damaging Iran’s ballistic missiles is another motive – although they do not have the range to reach the US. And for a period in January, the rationale, expressed over Truth Social, was a vow to the protesters that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY”.

“There are, I think, huge questions about why the United States is doing this in the first place,” Kelanic said.