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The ongoing conflict in West Asia ended its fourth week, and the situation remains vulnerable — Global energy prices skyrocket, the United States stands isolated from NATO allies as more troops prepare to deploy in the war-hit region despite President Donald Trump’s promise that the war would only be a “short excursion".
A defensive Trump slammed NATO allies and called them “cowards" over the lack of support for the US-Israel war on Iran as the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime chokepoint — remains effectively closed due to escalating tensions in the region.
“NATO countries are COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!" he posted on his Truth Social handle on Friday.
In the same post, Trump claimed the battle is “militarily WON". “Now that fight is militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk," he wrote.
Trump’s claims clashed with the fact that Tehran continues retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, targeting energy infrastructure and critical sites.
A White House official challenged that characterization, claiming the war has been an “undisputed military success", Reuters reported.
Trump Advised To Find An ‘Off-Ramp’?
According to a report by Reuters, citing a White House official on the condition of anonymity, President Trump was taken aback by the resistance of fellow NATO members and other foreign partners to deploying their navies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade.
With the president not willing to appear isolated, some White House aides suggested he set limit on the military operation’s scope, the outlet reported, adding it remained unclear whether Trump agreed to the advise or not.
Differences With Israel
Differences with Israel also began coming to the surface after March 18, when the Israeli forces struck South Pars, Iran’s largest gas field.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump insisted the US “knew nothing" about the strikes. The Israeli officials, on the other hand, say the strikes were made in coordination with the US.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu denied reports suggesting that Israel “dragged the US into a conflict with Iran".
“This canard that we dragged the United States into this is not just a canard it’s ridiculous. Does anyone really think that someone can tell President (Donald) Trump what to do? Come on," he said, adding that Trump “always makes his decisions on what he thinks is good for America."
At present, Trump seems caught between competing options in handling the Iran conflict, analysts say.
Miscalculations
Since February 28 — when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran — there has been a growing realisation that Trump administration greatly miscalculated the war and that the consequences should have been mapped out in the past.
Analysts opine that Trump may have misconstrued Iran’s likely response to the confrontation.
“They failed to think through the contingencies around ways in which a conflict with Iran could go sideways, where it might not go according to the plan as they laid out," said former U.S. ambassador John Bass, who served in Afghanistan and Turkey, as quoted by Reuters
