OPINION:
Just hours before Vice President J.D. Vance was heading to Switzerland to lead up new peace talks with Iran about its pursuit of nuclear weapons, the meeting was cancelled. Iran pulled back, citing Israel’s ongoing military attacks against Hezbollah as cause for the cancellation. So now the deal to end the U.S.-Iran war that was supposedly previously signed, but not really, is again up in the air, and peace that had been previously agreed upon, but not really, is again in the stalled talking stages.
Whom to blame, whom to blame.
Looks like Vance is going to be the administration’s fall guy — but really, the whole idea of forging a deal with a regime that only wants an end of the Jewish people, the destruction of the state of Israel, the eradication of America, and the downfall of the entire West and all Western society seemed fated from the get-go. How to make peace with a people whose primary goal is to murder you — and not just any old murder, but the most savage of kinds it can invent?
Iran is playing America.
Iran is playing President Donald Trump.
Iran is taking a victory lap over its latest strategic dodge of peace.
“Iran Claims Victory, Calls Trump Deal An ‘Admission of Failure,’” The Times of India wrote.
“Iran declares victory over US,” Big News Network wrote.
Well, Iran can take its so-called victory and put it where the sun don’t shine because the bombing campaign American unleashed months ago obliterated much of the regime’s nuclear capabilities. Trump did that. And Trump should get credit for that. Iran is certainly not victorious when it comes to withstanding America’s military might.
Where Iran is making inroads, though, is with its deceptive influences through the world’s media.
Iran has been able, through its on-again, off-again, on-again maneuverings of the peace deal, to put America in the role of Critic Of Israel.
Point one of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding that was supposedly an end to America’s war with Iran was an immediate end of military strikes on all fronts — including those between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel, however, is a sovereign nation and not subject to any terms of peace struck between America and Iran. Israel has also been engaged in defensive military operations against Hezbollah, one of Iran’s proxies, for years; Hezbollah took advantage of the Oct. 7 savage Hamas attack against the Jewish nation, for instance, to restart its own strikes against Israel. So while the IDF was waging war against Hamas in Gaza in the south, its northern borders were being hit by Hezbollah terrorists. Trump may call Hezbollah a “little pinprick” — but to Israel, the terror group has killed and injured scores. The group’s not a pinprick to the families who’ve needlessly lost loved ones.
Besides, Israel’s recent pushback into Lebanon is akin to America’s unleashing of strikes against Iran after the regime shot down an Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. That is: just as the United States has a right to defend itself militarily when attacked, so, too, does Israel.
But back to the 14-point memorandum: Iran knew that by stipulating a cease and desist of military operations that included those in Lebanon, it was putting it on Trump’s shoulders to force Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop firing at Hezbollah. This was a win-win-win situation for Iran.
If Israel stopped attacking Hezbollah, then Hezbollah gets to attack Israel with impunity.
If Israel didn’t stop attacking Hezbollah, then Iran could cry afoul with the terms of the 14-point memorandum and break it.
If Israel didn’t stop attacking Hezbollah and Iran therefore broke the terms of the memorandum, Trump would appear weakened on the foreign policy front. In order to save the deal, Trump would have to pressure Israel to stop firing on Hezbollah. And pressure he did.
“Donald Trump Mocks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” AOL wrote in one headline.
“Trump goes after Netanyahu, as he pursues deal with Iran, putting their friendship to the test,” The Associated Press wrote in another headline.
The latest is Netanyahu has reluctantly agreed to cease military operations against Lebanon. But blink, and that will change. Hezbollah terrorists will start firing again, as they always do; as Iran knows they do; as Iran will no doubt even encourage them to do. How is Israel expected to stand by and allow unanswered strikes by Hezbollah against their Jewish nation? For how long?
Iran’s biggest designs are to develop nuclear weapons and destroy the state of Israel. America, especially under Trump, has been Iran’s biggest obstacle to achieving these goals.
But if Iran can turn Trump against Israel, and more importantly, America, then the regime can be on its merry way back to reaching its wicked goals.
America should beware. The turning is in the works.
Trump, in recent remarks, said, “Without me, there would be no Israel.” Vance, in recent remarks, set Israel on notice by basically saying hey, sit down and shut up because America’s your only friend.
Specifically, Vance said, “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.” He then added, “Over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars.”
Thin veil, meet eye-opening warning.
“Israel stunned by Vance attack and implied US weapons warning,” Ynet News wrote.
And then comes this, from Newsweek: “Most Americans don’t see clear US gain from Iran deal: poll.”
That’s because there isn’t any clear gain — because there isn’t even any clear deal. This is a recipe for a desperate Hail Mary from the White House to salvage a peace agreement with a nation that never wanted peace in the first place, and from a president whose ability to achieve his agenda through 2028 stands on shaky midterm grounds. Most voters in America care more about the price of gas than they do about the pressures of Israel.
It’s not that Trump hasn’t shown himself to be Israel’s best friend in decades of White House leadership. It’s that Trump is indeed the America First guy, and if it comes to keeping the nation’s standing as Number One on the world’s stage, and simultaneously maintaining Republican dominance in Congress for his remaining two years, versus losing political power and prestige to support Israel’s right to defend itself — well, then. That changes the dynamics a bit, and the answer may not fall in Israel’s favor.
The bigger winner here is Iran.
If the White House lets Iran get by with turning America against Israel, the war against the regime will have been for naught. And biblically speaking, the larger and longer-term danger is this: read the prophetic verses. In the end times, all nations turn against Israel. Let those with ears hear.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
Follow the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.