Sorry, lefties: the Bad Orange Man has let you down again. We all know you are secretly desperate for Trump to start another war if only to take the heat of your golden idol, Droney McPeaceprize. But, big, bad Drumpf just won’t play the tune you want.
Donald Trump has moved to avert an immediate military escalation with Iran, saying the US was continuing to review its options while announcing punishing new economic sanctions on Tehran.
The president said Iran appeared to be “standing down’’ after its missile strikes against two bases in Iraq hosting US troops and he confirmed there were no US casualties in the attacks.
Trump, as he has done repeatedly in his foreign policy, has shown that he is willing to follow through on his threats of “fire and fury” if Americans are threatened – but more importantly, that he is willing to talk once America’s enemies have been frightened back into their senses.
Mr Trump began his address to the nation by saying “so long as I am president of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon’’.
But he also moved to de-escalate tensions and even held out the prospect of eventual peace with Iran if it ended its pursuit of nuclear weapons and its support for terrorism.
“To the people and leaders of Iran, we want you to have a future and a great future, one that you deserve,” he said. “One of prosperity at home and harmony with the nations of the world. The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it.’’
The mullahs have let off a few firecrackers and gibbered their standard “Death to America” stuff. Now, they’re slinking home to bury what’s left of their top-ranking terrorist. They’re still rattling a scimitar or two, but it seems like it’s all over, bar the shouting.
Mr Trump’s comments came amid mixed messages from Iran as its Supreme leader warned that the attacks on the al-Asad base and the Irbil base in Iraq were insufficient punishment for the US for its assassination of Iran’s most senior military leader General Qassem Soleimani.
“They were slapped last night, but such military actions are not enough,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday (AEDT).
The previous day Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif suggested that Iran’s military actions were over for now. He said Iran “took and concluded proportionate measures of self-defence’’ in the strikes and that the country did “not seek escalation or war’’.
theaustralian.com.au/world/iran-attacks-air-base-in-iraq-housing-australian-us-troops/
Once again, Trump seems to have confounded both his critics and enemies. Time and again, even Trump’s supporters have been discomfited by his foreign policy actions. Yet, each time, Trump emerges stronger than before and more firmly on track to end America’s endless wars.
If you enjoyed this BFD article please consider sharing it with your friends.