How Trump’s attack on Iran could help define his presidency |
How Trump’s attack on Iran could help define his presidency |
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday morning.
Three weeks ago, the U.S. and Iran sat down for their first indirect negotiations since last June, when Israel’s 12-day air war against Iranian nuclear, missile and military sites upended the diplomacy. Two weeks later, U.S. and Iranian negotiators left Switzerland with cautious optimism. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi went so far as to cite undefined “progress.”
But the positivity was always a bit misleading. Given the personalities involved and the lack of trust between Tehran and Washington — as well as the chasm-like differences about what to even discuss — the diplomatic process was destined to fall apart at some point. The Iranians are patient, exhausting negotiators, whereas Donald Trump is a notoriously impatient man who wants results quickly.
In the meantime, the U.S. and Iran both acted as if war was an inevitability. The U.S. military sent dozens of additional combat aircraft to the Middle East, deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the region and put more air defense assets into place. Iran rebuilt some of the missile facilities that were destroyed in June and reinforced others. The foreshadowing proved correct.
This is a preview of Daniel R DePetris’ latest column. Read the full column here.
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