In his fog of peace, Trump’s lost sight of truth. That means more war
Idea
Donald Trump has invented a radical opposite of the fog of war: the fog of peace.
A week ago, the US president intensified the seemingly endless course of the Iran war. Suddenly, Trump announced on the Truth Social platform: “IF Iran DOES NOT FULLY OPEN THE Strait of Hormuz WITHOUT THREAT WITHIN 48 HOURS”, he would bring the country to its knees by ordering the destruction of its power plants.
Last Monday, with only a few hours to go, Trump blinked. “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN HAD VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS TOWARDS THE COMPLETE AND TOTAL SOLUTION OF OUR ENVIRONMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN THE LAST TWO DAYS.” Promised strikes have been paused so that such talks can be resumed, he said.
fog of war, Introduced by Prussian General Carl von Clausewitzit shrouds military warfare in uncertainty and confusion, which can lead to unintended consequences. in Tehran, 175 people, mostly school childrenHe was killed by a US Tomahawk missile in the first hours of the war. A. friendly fire Three US jets were shot down in the barrage from Kuwait.
The words coming out of Trump’s mouth contradict what our eyes see and what our ears hear. We don’t know what’s real in Trump’s fog of peace. How can Tehran declare that it has been won when the war continues? denial Are peace talks ongoing? How can Trump definitively declare that regime change has occurred in Iran when no alternative leader has been able to wrest control of the government from those who survived the assassination and remain in power? If Trump completely destroyed the Iranian military, why are lethal rockets still raining down on Israel?
If Trump says he doesn’t want a broader war, possibly “putting the shoes on the ground” to seize Kharg Island and recover Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium buried beneath Natanz, why did he order marines and army paratroopers to be sent to the Persian Gulf?
Trump cleared the fog of peace with his rambling statements to journalists. How could Trump say he was surprised that Iran was attacking Gulf countries aligned with the United States? Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz When fully informed of these expectations By Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine?
Trump appears to be negotiating with the Iranians who have failed to deliver on their promises. How can he say that he agreed to various terms to end the war? Iran has consistently rejected Trump’s terms: Iran agreeing to never have nuclear weapons, ending enrichment and transferring its radioactive nuclear stockpile to the United States, and Trump receiving some authority to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran reportedly Demanded the USA to close its military bases in the regionPay war reparations to Iran, allow Iran to collect strait tolls, and force Israel to stop attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon.
While Trump said Iran was “begging” for a deal and Pakistan was mediating indirect talks, the US president warned Iran to “get serious” before it was “too late”, while the Pentagon was preparing a “final blow” with troops and bombings. Now it has extended the deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by 10 more days, until April 6.
The Commander-in-Chief keeps saying inconsistent things. All the contradictions and unresolved questions of the fog of peace between Iran and the United States will continue until Iran surrenders or refuses to bow to Trump demands and pursues the war of his choice with “Operation Epic Rage” in full force.
Trump’s advisers cannot be blind to the fact that the war is killing him politically and must end. With fuel prices rising, Trump’s approval rating It reached a new low at 36 percent. A significant majority of Americans to say the war has gone too far. As Democrats flip seats in local elections across the country – two such state seats This week, Democrats went to Trump’s Florida, including Mar-a-Lago, where he has a home; Republicans in Congress fear they are dead in the midterm elections. But no Republican of real standing is standing up and breaking with Trump for waging this war.
Fog of war means war. Trump’s fog of peace could also mean relentless war.
Bruce Wolpe is a senior fellow at the Center for United States Studies at the University of Sydney. He was on the Democratic staff in the US Congress and served as chief of staff to former prime minister Julia Gillard.
Take a note directly from our foreign country reporters about things that make headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What’s on in the World Newsletter here.



