The proof is his attitude towards US diplomatic ties with the world and the international face that he has dedicated to US as of taking the office. This does not mean Trump does not care about political issues but he interprets international political issues under the shadow of his own economic calculations.
When he put forward the idea of ‘America Frist’ and decided to construct Mexico-US border wall, when he levied tariffs on Chinese goods, his interference with oil market via increasing US shale production and etc. all and all verify his calculative mind and business intelligence to secure his country’s benefits even at the price of altering the course of U.S. foreign policy and disrupting the world order.
The highlight of Trump’s Presidency, for sure, is his stance and decisions towards Iran.
Withdrawing from the JCPOA, the deal that was achieved after long and tough negotiations between Iran and 5+1 and had brought its signatories satisfaction, Trump disrespected initially his own country besides proving himself as unreliable.
By pulling out of the deal in the name of stopping Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon, the issue which was fully considered in the JCPOA, the US president ignited a new round and a chain of instabilities in the international relations besides uncertainty about future and lack of trust among the US, Europe and Iran.
Taking further steps off the beaten track, Trump started to put draconian economic embargo on Iran to force the country back to negotiation table for packing a new deal, the one that would match his own taste. Faced with the Islamic Republic's resistance, he continued trying his chance with further sanctions. To fasten the tightest knot and put the maximum pressure on Iran, in his final step he put the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Iranian Foreign Minister in the sanctions list.
“Sanctions come off Iran, and they become a productive and prosperous nation again - The sooner the better!” he wrote on Twitter.
His thirst for levying sanctions goes on, while according to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the US has sanctioned more than 80% of the Iranian economy.
That is exactly the point where diplomacy is missed. In fast, Trump is entrapped, harvesting the fruit of his own mistakes. He was the first one who killed diplomacy and left the negotiations table. Now, he has no other way to reach what he wants except acting as the big bully, which will augment tensions in the region and threat international political relations.
However, as a businessman, he is taking advantage of presenting Iran as a big threat to regional security. He sells weapons to the regional Arab states. Without Iran, earning money from Arab leaders would not be as easy as it is now. He drew back American troops from the Middle East due to the costs imposed on the US and now he is earning from the region without paying on war or having troops here! As the US President who boasts about the economic achievements he brought for his country, Trump cannot enter a war with Iran and in fact he does not need to do that.
Creating a war game with Iran has been a lucrative business for the US President.
Addressing a large “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump said in late April that he would like to keep Saudi Arabia as a close partner because of the Riyadh regime’s extravagant purchases from American companies.
"They [Saudis] have nothing but cash, right?" he told the exuberant crowd. "They buy a lot from us, $450 billion they bought."
"You had people wanting to cut off Saudi Arabia... I don't want to lose them," he said.
Trump is putting a spanner on the regional peace wheel. Acting a tradesman, he tries to seem negligent and indifferent about the outcomes of what he is making to occur in the Middle East. He calls on regional countries and some other ones including China to take care of their security in the Persian Gulf, telling that the US is not in charge for the issue. In fact, he wants them to rely on the US and via US’ hegemony he wants these countries to rely on Americans to guarantee their security. Trump wants to persuade them accompany the US in imposing maximum pressure on Iran.
Meanwhile, Trump tries to suggest that no instability in the Middle East, can make the US incur financial losses. The US President has even announced that the US is not in need for the Persian Gulf oil thanks to its oil resources, which is a false claim, since no one can deny that any shock in global oil prices can make the gasoline prices and imports costs skyrocket in the US.
The US President has ‘Hawks’ and ‘doves’, of course, but his administration is the first one that is on the strategic offensive against Iran in 39 years. As he has confirmed, “his top foreign policy adviser wants to embroil the US in multiple international conflicts.” No one can say how the unpredictable US President can resist against such pressures.
Trump is in war against Iran but a war of his own type, an economic one.
Presently, the major concern of the US President are the security US’ biggest ally in the region, Israel and the upcoming US presidential elections. In addition, enlisting the Leader of Islamic Revolutions has put an end to any probability for Iran-US negotiations, according to Iranian officials. Iran says it does not want war neither negotiations with US but it will respond harshly to any threat. On the other sides, Trump underlines that he is not a fan of war, either but boats about US military powers.
HJ/
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