USA01 June, 20262 min read
Trump Threatens Military Escalation During Iran Standoff Amid Ceasefire Diplomacy
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US policy toward Israel reportedly shifts under Trump, Politico reports. Trump signaled possible resumption of attacks on Iran during ceasefire diplomacy.
Iran standoff, mixed signals
Donald Trump oscillated between expressing hope for a lasting ceasefire and threatening military escalation during an Iran standoff, after revealing he was just an hour away from “making the decision” to resume attacks on Iran. Al Jazeera reported that Iran, as of Thursday, said it had received and was reviewing Washington’s response to Tehran’s latest ceasefire proposal, while Trump’s messaging also coincided with a renewed flurry of diplomacy.
In the same week, Trump reposted a New York Post op-ed by Richard Goldberg calling on the US to “sustain blockade and accompanying economic warfare,” and the article said the post came after US media reported Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were at loggerheads during a phone call on Tuesday. Al Jazeera also quoted Sina Azodi, an assistant professor of Middle East politics at The George Washington University, saying, “They can’t really decide whether the US actually wants to deal or it wants war,” as Trump’s position changes made it harder for Tehran to agree to concessions in private.
Israel-US friction widens
Euronews framed Italy’s debate over foreign policy as tied to tensions with the United States and Israel, after it said Meloni appeared to have fallen out of favor with Donald Trump after defending Pope Leo XIV and calling the U.S. president’s attacks on the pontiff “unacceptable.” In the same Euronews segment, Arturo Scotto said, “When she tried to distance herself slightly from Donald Trump, he reminded her who the boss is,” linking the dispute to Meloni’s response to Trump’s appeal for military intervention against Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Al Jazeera’s account of the Iran standoff described how Trump’s mixed messaging ran alongside an ongoing naval blockade of Iran’s ports, while the article said Trump threatened on Sunday that the “clock is ticking” for Iran. Separately, Al-Manar TV Lebanon cited Politico in describing a “fundamental shift” in US policy toward “Tel Aviv,” saying the Zionist government assumed Trump’s return would guarantee unwavering US backing but that US interests now take precedence even when they clash with Israel’s security priorities.
U.S. pressure, Lebanon toll
An Anadolu Ajansı report said former U.S. Congress member Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X that “The Israeli forces relentlessly bomb the Christian south of Lebanon and have no respect for America or President Trump,” as strikes in Lebanon continued despite a ceasefire.
Anadolu Ajansı also reported Greene described the Israeli government as a “murderous regime,” and said she claimed it “invades, attacks and kills thousands of people” while benefiting from “billions of dollars in American military aid.”
Anadolu Ajansı provided official figures for the Israeli military offensive in Lebanon since March 2, saying it had killed more than 4,000, wounded 11,873, and displaced more than one million residents.
The same Anadolu Ajansı report said Israel continued to occupy several areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the last conflict, and added that during its recent military campaign Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory.