President kept pledge he made 10 years ago

DONALD Trump's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities may have caught some by surprise.

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He had only recently extended what appeared to be a two-week ultimatum for the Islamic regime to return to the negotiating table.

And because Trump is, in truth, fairly risk-averse, even the deployment of B2 stealth bombers to Guam was interpreted in some quarters as a pressure tactic, not a prelude to war.

In a burst of diplomacy, David Lammy joined fellow foreign ministers of France and Germany in a last-ditch attempt to de-escalate tensions when they met with their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Switzerland.

Crucially, almost half of Trump’s MAGA base — often the final arbiters of his foreign policy — opposed further US involvement in the Middle East.

Bluffing