Trump Refuses to Play Charlie Brown With Iran As Lucy Holding the Football

The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked for another ceasefire, and President Donald Trump has said no. While Trump has actively sought ceasefires in the past, this time he had no patience for the Iranian demands, and that’s all to the good, as nothing good could possibly come from giving the Islamic Republic more time to regroup and strengthen its forces.

The New York Post reported Friday that Trump has “rejected a seven-day cease-fire proposed by Iran and expects to resume bombing the country after the midterm elections.” Trump apparently doesn’t think that the conflict with Iran will cost the Republicans in the midterms, and could be waiting in the hope that the Islamic Republic will collapse of its own accord. Inflation is skyrocketing, most of the Iranian people already hate the Islamic regime, and if that regime fell tomorrow, no one would be surprised.

That, indeed, is why the Islamic Republic’s leadership is trying to buy time with a new ceasefire. Islamic law allows an Islamic army to conclude a truce with a non-Muslim army only if the Muslims are losing and need time to regroup (or if the non-Muslim army is about to convert to Islam, which is not in play here, at least not yet). Thus is it wise of Trump to refuse the request, for when the Islamic Republic asks for a ceasefire, that’s a tacit admission that it knows that it’s losing. Paradoxically, the worst time to conclude a ceasefire with an Islamic force is when that force asks for one.

The Post noted that “as part of the proposed cease-fire, Tehran pledged to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations on dismantling its nuclear program in exchange for the US ending its blockade of Iranian ports.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “told reporters at the UN gathering in New York that the seven-day proposal had been formally offered to the US. Aside from lifting the naval blockade, the regime is also seeking sanctions relief from the US and the unfreezing of some of its assets.” Of course. The sanctions relief and unfreezing of assets would give the Iranians the funds they need to build their forces back up and resume their jihad against America and Israel.

Trump, however, said: “I’ve rejected their deal. They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they're losing so badly. We’re winning tremendously.” He explained that even with the Strait closed, ships were getting through: “We have total control of the Hormuz Strait, massive amounts of oil are coming out of the Hormuz Strait. Last night we had 29 ships come out. They want to make a deal, and I think that's fine, I like making a deal, too, but that deal would not be acceptable.” Indeed. It would only have bought the Islamic Republic time to build up and continue waging its jihad later.

Trump continued: “And what they want to do is immediately open the Hormuz Strait. You know why? Because they're dying. You know why they're dying? Because they have no money coming in. Because they get their money from the Hormuz Strait. So they outsmarted themselves. They said, 'let's close it and cause a problem for the world.' And then I came along and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It's a wall of steel.” The Islamic Republic’s spiraling economic woes could well turn out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“I would put it up,” Trump added, “and guess what? They don't have any money now because they wanted to close the strait. And I said, ‘that's fine, we're going to close it on you. But everybody else is able to use it.’”

Now, according to the Post, “Trump is ‘skeptical’ Iran will agree to his demands and has told aides it is ‘likely’ the US military restarts airstrikes after the November contests.”

While the Iranians continue to try to project an air of confident victory, issuing peremptory demands to Trump as if the mighty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had defeated the forces of the United States, Trump, in his imitable way, mocked their pretensions. On Friday evening, he posted a map on Truth Social, with the Strait of Hormuz prominently labeled “Trump Strait.”

A White House official, meanwhile, said that “Trump was content to allow the ‘inevitable Iranian collapse’ play out rather than be ‘played’ by the regime.” Good. Bring on that collapse.

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