Trump knows what he wants - but struggles to decide
US President Donald Trump cancels a strike on Iran in favor of diplomacy, but Tehran denies agreement. The gap between the threat and the retreat creates a credibility problem. In Israel, they see zigzagging, but the analysis shows a real dilemma between a war that does not guarantee achievement and an avoidance that may seem like surrender. Trump knows what he wants, but lacks a safe path.
US President Donald Trump faces a dilemma between striking Iran and a diplomatic arrangement. Over the weekend, he canceled a military operation to allow contacts, but Tehran denied accepting American conditions, and Trump avoided setting a deadline. The gap between the threat and the retreat creates a credibility problem. In Israel, they see this as zigzagging by an unpredictable president, but the analysis shows that Trump knows what he wants: he does not want to renew the war, but rather reach an arrangement and present it as an American victory. The real dilemma is between a war that does not guarantee achievement and an avoidance that may seem like surrender. A broad strike could expand the conflict to the Red Sea and other arenas, while a limited strike could lead to escalation. Even domestically, only about a third of Americans support war, and ahead of midterm elections, renewing fighting could exact a price. Every unfulfilled threat strengthens the nickname TACO (Trump Always Caves). The question is when he will conclude that the damage of indecision is greater than the risk of renewing fighting.