Donald Trump is obviously tired of the war. Clearly he has limited options – and worse, Iran is fighting fit despite major losses it suffered to its key installations and the loss of some of its top governmental functionaries in missile hits. On Thursday, when Trump addressed his nation, Iran punctuated the address with missile hits on Israel and the UAE in quick succession. A threat from Iran to target as many as 18 US tech-firms in the Middle Eastern region could now be sending shivers down the spines of techies. The warning from Tehran sounds ominous – that, “from now on, for every assassination (by the US), an American company would be targeted.” Techies working with the US firms across the Middle East could now be sitting ducks.
Iran is also in no mood to lift the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, halting movement of ships from and to the Western shores, causing a huge economic impact on the US, Europe and the rest of the world. Trump has hinted two days ago that he might as well stop the war. His threat to quit NATO is understandable. The UK and the rest of these nations are not willing to join the war. This was unlike the 2003 Iraq war that the US waged, when UK and other western powers sided with then president George Bush Junior. Trump’s previous statement was that he might end the war even if Iran failed to lift the blockade on the major shipping route. Now he blows hot and cold. A month after the war, the US and Israel have not been able to firmly take the upper hand. Trump’s dilemma, and drag, are principally on taking the war to the next stage – namely of engaging Iran in a ground-level fight. Iranian soldiers are among the best trained militaries in the world, unlike the weak military footing of Islamic nations other than Pakistan. American might is principally air-borne through missile strikes, as was also proven in the Iraq war. Luckily for the US, Saddam Hussein’s largely demoralized military abandoned their arms and disappeared into thin air in 2003, leaving Hussein to the wolves. Trump, however, has no such luck. A bloody battle on the ground could spell trouble for the President as each body bag that reaches back to the US from the theatre of war would raise a question mark on Trump. The Vietnam War ended in disaster for the US as Americans got deeply upset over the huge casualties on the ground.
Trump, emboldened by his ‘seizure’ of Venezuela without firing a single shot, waded into choppy waters through his aggressive foray into Iran. While he managed to hit and kill top Revolutionary Guard figures, the US-Israeli joint fight turned into a prolonged engagement, it having entered the second month, hugely and adversely impacting the global economy. Prices across the world have gone up. China has raised its fuel prices while oil, fertilizers and construction material became dearer in India in recent weeks. Trump’s speech gave no clarity about the duration of the war – meaning the war’s impact on the global economy would be worse.
