Brinkmanship in ME

WITHIN days of pounding Iran’s nuclear facilities with bunker-buster bombs, thus pushing the region to the brink of a wider conflagration, US President Donald Trump claims to have negotiated a ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel. “CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!” Trump posted on social media hours after Tehran had fired several missiles at an American military base in Qatar.

- BY ZAHID HUSSAIN

“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE ....” Trump also thanked Tehran for giving advance notice before targeting the base in Qatar while categorising its response as “weak”.

It all sounds so surreal. The dramatic escalation and de-escalation signify Trumpian brinkmanship. His actions and contradictory pronouncements over the last few days have left the world in a spin. After claiming to have obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities following intense American bombardment, and hinting at regime change in Tehran, he appears to have turned peacemaker.

A tentative ceasefire, reportedly brokered by Qatar, is now in effect between Israel and Iran. The tit-for-tat strikes left hundreds dead. But the conflict is far from over. The 12-day war the Zionist state initiated has cost both countries heavily.

While there are no winners, the confrontation has broken the myth of Israeli invincibility. Tehran continued to fire missiles deep inside Israel. It was America’s direct military intervention that changed the balance of force. That too did not lead Iran to surrender, as demanded by Trump. The ceasefire is not one-sided. Tehran’s consent came after Israel agreed to pull back. Never before has the Zionist state appeared so vulnerable despite US military backing, with Iranian missiles penetrating its most powerful air defence system. Israeli attacks may have crippled