People protest against U.S. military attack on Iran in Los Angeles, the United States, on There are wars that nations fight with clarity of purpose, with defined enemies, declared goals, and a strategy for what comes after the shooting stops. And then there is the US-Iran war of 2026, a conflict that may go down in history not for its military might, but for its stunning lack of coherence, credibility, and direction.
What followed has been a masterclass in strategic incoherence. Trump declared a ceasefire in April, announcing it had been a resounding success and that the “longterm problem” was “close to resolution.” Days later, the ceasefire was described as being on “life support.” Then came the deadlines, a parade of ultimatums that Washington set and then quietly shelved. The most recent episode may be the most revealing of all.
On Sunday, May 18, Trump warned on Truth Social that Iran had better “get moving, FAST,” or “there won’t be anything left of them.” Twenty-four hours later, he announced on the same platform that he had called off a “scheduled” attack planned for Tuesday, at the personal request of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatar’s Emir, and the UAE’s President. He framed it as a gesture of respect toward his Gulf allies. There was just one problem: Gulf country officials, speaking to The Wall Street Journal, said they had no idea the attack had even been planned.
[paywall]
And reporting from Axios suggested Trump had not actually made a final decision to strike before announcing its postponement. In short, the president may have publicly credited foreign leaders with talking him out of a war he had not yet decided to fight, using allies who had not made the request he described to provide diplomatic cover for his own hesitation. Meanwhile, the human and economic toll compounds.
The Strait of Hormuz (through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil passes) has remained largely shut since the conflict began, driving fuel prices to their highest levels in three years. Over a million people have been displaced in Lebanon. Iranian civilians, already brutalised by their own government’s crackdown on protesters, now live under American naval blockade.
What has the United States achieved? Iran has not surrendered its nuclear ambitions. The Strait remains a flashpoint.
Negotiations are deadlocked over issues that were predictable from day one. And the president is now setting new two-to-three-day deadlines that almost no one believes will be enforced.
[/paywall]
All Zim News – Bringing you the latest news and updates.
