Media commentator and strategist Shlomo Filber commented Sunday morning on U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had canceled a large-scale attack on Iran.

“No one really understands how Trump’s mind works when it comes to decision-making,” Filber wrote.

“What can be observed and learned so far: Trump understands that the Iranians are playing him. He also understands that the nuclear threat remains and that dealing with it is still his responsibility.

“Trump learned—belatedly, on the eve of Operation Rising Lion and afterward—that his ‘allies’ in the Gulf are a broken reed—Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. They neither helped nor were willing to help. Instead, they fear for their own infrastructure and are pressuring the United States to reach an agreement and protect them.

“Hormuz, even more than the nuclear issue, has become Trump’s test of whether he is the strong leader and the world’s policeman. The Iranians know this and are exploiting it.

“Trust and support for Trump in Israel have dropped dramatically. Israelis understand that the job of removing Iran’s nuclear threat remains unfinished and that, when the time comes, we will have to complete it ourselves.

“It is more likely that Trump will continue juggling between restoring his damaged prestige, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and keeping oil prices low until the midterm elections in November.

“And as I said, no one really understands how Trump’s mind works in the end.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)