A Masterclass in Pressure: Trump, Israel, and the Final Reckoning with Iran

Trump is buying the Iranians time, even though they know the clock has run out. They are fully aware there is zero chance this President will back down or allow them to continue developing ballistic missiles and nuclear capabilities. Those are non-starters.

With all due respect, Donald Trump likes his regional players under control. If they are on the American side, they can get away with almost anything and reach every milestone. But when it comes to a radical, anti-American power, Trump operates on a binary: he will make them "love" him on his terms and in his way, or he will destroy them on his terms and in his way.

There is no middle ground.

The Momentum of Time

This brings us to the element of time. Right now, time is all we have, especially given the indications that negotiations are continuing. For now, everything else remains highly classified.

This delay plays perfectly into the hands of Trump’s base. The skeptics, those who warned that an American strike on nuclear facilities would inevitably lead to a regional war, have been proven wrong. Trump is now moving in after the Israelis have significantly weakened the Iranian regime. He is ready to negotiate against a backdrop of mass protests and a collapsing economy.

The Stars are Aligning

With the Iranian giant currently on the ropes and trembling, the stars are finally aligning. At this stage, even the most hardcore isolationists would find it difficult to argue that an American strike is a mistake.

The only alternative for those isolationists is to let the Israelis do the job for them. But if that happens, they lose their favorite talking point: they can no longer claim that Israel is "using" the United States. In this scenario, it would clearly be the other way around.