Trump Retreats and Avoids the Apocalypse*
The Persian Empire was one of the greatest in history. Historians consider it to be the first multicultural superpower, uniting a multitude of peoples from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, occupying parts of Greece, Egypt and Central Asia between 550 and 330 B.C. A great civilization, it was characterized by religious tolerance and trade driven by a unified currency and backed by a formidable army.
As noted in recent days, Iran is not an Arab country. It is a Persian country whose civilization might have begun to vanish from the face of the Earth today if Donald Trump had not decided at the last minute to retreat and grant Tehran two more weeks, after declaring, “Tonight will be one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world.” If Iran didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz and submit to his conditions, Trump said that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.” That’s how he threatened those who have watched missiles fly overhead during nearly 40 days of bombardment.
In Tehran, our correspondent Catalina Ángel Gómez captured the mix of disbelief, fear and confusion that Iranians felt from such violent intimidation by the United States. What do you do in the face of such savage menacing? Iran has a population of 90 million. Some were willing to act as human shields and barricade themselves near power plants or petrochemical complexes to resist Trump’s bluster. Others have been using cell phones to photograph incoming attacks for more than a month. And surely there are many others living in anguish and fear, knowing that if Armageddon erupts above their heads, there will be little — perhaps nothing — they can do.
No one knows for certain what’s going on in Trump’s head or what his final decision will be in two weeks. Whether targeted airstrikes will continue, whether there will be a ground invasion, whether the war will end, or whether the apocalypse will take place. We’ll see. We could never have imagined that yesterday we would be watching the clock, waiting to see whether an entire civilization would come to an end.
The world isn’t exactly moving in the right direction. But the agreement reached through mediation by Pakistan is at least good news. The markets are responding with gains and oil prices are falling again. We hope this truce will pave the way for a major peace agreement.
*Editor's note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
As noted in recent days, Iran is not an Arab country. It is a Persian country whose civilization might have begun to vanish from the face of the Earth today if Donald Trump had not decided at the last minute to retreat and grant Tehran two more weeks, after declaring, “Tonight will be one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world.” If Iran didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz and submit to his conditions, Trump said that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.” That’s how he threatened those who have watched missiles fly overhead during nearly 40 days of bombardment.
In Tehran, our correspondent Catalina Ángel Gómez captured the mix of disbelief, fear and confusion that Iranians felt from such violent intimidation by the United States. What do you do in the face of such savage menacing? Iran has a population of 90 million. Some were willing to act as human shields and barricade themselves near power plants or petrochemical complexes to resist Trump’s bluster. Others have been using cell phones to photograph incoming attacks for more than a month. And surely there are many others living in anguish and fear, knowing that if Armageddon erupts above their heads, there will be little — perhaps nothing — they can do.
No one knows for certain what’s going on in Trump’s head or what his final decision will be in two weeks. Whether targeted airstrikes will continue, whether there will be a ground invasion, whether the war will end, or whether the apocalypse will take place. We’ll see. We could never have imagined that yesterday we would be watching the clock, waiting to see whether an entire civilization would come to an end.
The world isn’t exactly moving in the right direction. But the agreement reached through mediation by Pakistan is at least good news. The markets are responding with gains and oil prices are falling again. We hope this truce will pave the way for a major peace agreement.
*Editor's note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
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