Though not without cost, the U.S.-Israeli offensive has already made the world safer. Claims of a “quagmire” are an attempt to politicize an issue that should be bipartisan.
President Donald Trump’s announcement of a five-day delay before making good on his threats to bomb Iran’s power plants was greeted with relief by those who have been hoping that he would end the U.S.-Israeli military campaign as soon as possible. It remains to be seen whether the talks reportedly taking place with the Islamist regime to end their nuclear program are achieving any real progress.
This may be evidence that those within the White House pushing for a diplomatic deal with Iran are winning the day over concerns about the economy and increasing gas prices. Or, as with previous decisions by the president prior to the 12-day war in June 2025 and the start of the current conflict, it may be that he is giving them one more chance to bend to America’s will to avoid heavier blows yet to come on what’s left of the country’s infrastructure and military capabilities.
In the absence of evidence that the fanatics who still control Tehran are finally giving up their faith in a perpetual jihad against the West, the latter still seems the most likely answer. His assurance that Israel would be satisfied with what the United States is demanding—and his reminder that if the Iranians don’t satisfy him, his threat that “we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out”—seems to indicate that he has not changed his position from one of maximum pressure to appeasement.