Trump’s Middle East peace remains under construction and Israel and Iran shoot at each other
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo-AP) TOI correspondent from Washington US President Donald Trump is once again scrambling to preserve a fragile ceasefire between Israel
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo-AP) TOI correspondent from Washington US President Donald Trump is once again scrambling to preserve a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran, insisting that a broader peace agreement is within reach even as renewed missile exchanges, mutual threats, and deep mistrust continue to push the Middle East toward another dangerous escalation, much to global frustration.The latest flare-up over the weekend marked the most serious breakdown of the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect in April. Israeli strikes on targets linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon quickly expanded into attacks on Iranian assets, including a major petrochemical facility, prompting Tehran to launch ballistic missiles at Israel and threaten further retaliation. Although both sides halted major operations on Monday, neither offered assurances that the truce would hold.Trump sought to project confidence, declaring on social media that “Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached.
Things should move quickly.”The president's optimistic rhetoric, however, increasingly contrasts with the reality on the ground.More than two weeks after Trump announced that a breakthrough agreement with Iran would be unveiled “shortly,” negotiations remain stalled, while military exchanges continue across the region.The central obstacle remains the vast gulf between Washington and Tehran. Iranian officials reportedly want the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets as part of any arrangement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks on Tehran's nuclear program. US negotiators have resisted those demands amid fierce opposition from Republican hawks and pro-Israel conservatives.The political problem for Trump is particularly acute because any agreement involving sanctions relief or the unfreezing of Iranian funds risks inviting comparisons with the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated by former President Barack Obama, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump built much of his foreign-policy orientation on denouncing that agreement as a capitulation to Tehran before withdrawing the US from it in 2018. Any deal that appears to resemble Obama's framework would expose him to charges of hypocrisy from allies and critics alike.Those concerns have already surfaced publicly amid constant taunts of "TACO" -- Trump Always Chickens Out.
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