A Delay Tactic

By: Larry Gordon

It was a fantastic 250th birthday of the United States to watch in all its glory. Happy Birthday, USA.

In hindsight, the meek and ridiculous Independence speech by Mayor Mamdani was—in the aftermath of the pageantry and celebration—just a lame and pathetic effort to turn the tide which, by all accounts, has the tide of America turned against him.

In Iran, while Americans were celebrating, there was a dour funeral for the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Ayatollah was killed in the first days of the war with a full cohort of Iranian leaders in Tehran. He was killed by a combination of U.S. and Israeli Air Forces in February. In other words, this has been a five month-long funeral.

This past weekend, the funeral just started and is supposed to conclude with his final burial at some point over the weekend. Due to the dayslong funeral, the talks between Iran and the U.S. through Pakistan have been put on hold.

At the same time, a story surfaced this week that the Iranians had begun to rebuild their nuclear facilities despite they commitment not to. There’s only one way that can end.

Firstly, why did any of the parties agree to a five month-long funeral? It’s absolutely absurd. The point is that the Iranians are looking to drag this spectacle into the fall and the midterm elections here in the U.S. They probably see this as their only chance to escape Mr. Trump’s clutches.

But now that the celebratory fireworks are over, it might just be time for some new fireworks. In other words, it looks like Mr. Trump is quickly coming to understand that you do not start a war with Iran and stop in the middle. If that was the plan, you’re better off not starting at all.

Most likely next week Bibi Netanyahu will be back in Washington for a sit down with the President. Bibi is probably coming with satellite photos that show the Iranians are building nuclear facilities yet again. I’m sure the U.S. has the same evidence. The question is: what is their next move?

Stuck in the middle of all this are the Qataris, who recently gifted Mr. Trump with a brand-new Air Force One at a cost of $400 million. At the same time, Qatar has pledged to invest $17 trillion in the U.S. over the coming years, a difficult offer to refuse.

Is it possible that what the Qataris want in return is for Trump to agree not to allow the Israelis to flatten Tehran? And certainly not to assist them in doing it. It’s a lot of moola but it would be somewhat surprising that at this stage of his life—having just turned 80—Mr. Trump could be bought off by these oil-soaked sheiks.

I don’t think Bibi can convince the President to return the plane or refuse the trillions of dollars. But Bibi, at 76, has sworn that as long as he is prime minister, Iran will not have a nuclear bomb. The conversation might in part be about how Mr. Trump wants to be remembered after his presidency. Indeed, Trump is vigorous and tireless and while 70 might be the new 50—80 is still 80.

The world cannot help but see this war with Iran as something Trump is “doing” for Israel, and a large part of the world is dead set against it. Which brings us to the Tucker Carlson part of the equation, which is what reportedly got the Ayatollah killed in the first place. It’s been said that Carlson was communicating with the Iranians because of his anti-Israel stance.

Allegedly, in meetings he used to have with President Trump, it was communicated that the Ayatollah and the Mullahs can meet aboveground because no attack was being planned by either the U.S. or Israel. I don’t think Carlson will be taking Trump’s word for anything anytime soon.

So, what is holding up the works with discarding this corrupt theocracy in Iran as well as complicating matters in the Strait of Hormuz? The answer is two words—ground troops. Or in four words: boots on the ground.

The U.S. and Israel cannot achieve genuine regime change in Iran without sending in a massive military operation. And now, three months before a vital midterm election, Trump is in no position to send in U.S. forces even if it means freeing tens of millions of Iranians who live in poverty and a near-virtual prison.

So maybe Bibi has a plan.

If you stop looking at the world through Chuck Schumer’s eyes and more through the perspective of the U.S. at 250, try to imagine what it would do for Trump in the midterms to bring true freedom to Iran. With Israel’s expert help, of course. It could also be that Bibi has already spoken to the Saudis and other Gulf states about this crucial matter.

Is America at 250 about looking the other way while 90 million people remain trapped and enslaved in Iran? There has to be a way to get this done—and soon. Especially in the face of the news that Iran is already back to building nuclear sites.

America cannot run their foreign policy according to the dictates of Zohran Mamdani. I learned a lot while observing the America at 250 celebration last weekend. The three Communists who won Democratic primaries last week are meaningless as far as the future of America is concerned. All three were elected in districts that Kamala Harris won by 60-70%. No surprise there.

At present, Bibi has a problem with JD Vance. Vance is very close to Carlson, who despises Israel. That has to have an impact on the Vice President. But it’s not that simple and there is so much more at play.

Trump could be making the same mistake Israel made in Gaza. Hamas in Gaza swore to destroy Israel, yet Israel permitted the Qataris to provide Hamas in the Gaza Strip with over $1.1 billion from 2012 to 2018 believing that would placate the terrorists. You know what happened next.

Right now, the Ayatollah’s five-month-long funeral has ended and the Iranians are busy building nukes. It’s been said that Donald Trump is the best friend Israel ever had in the White House. Let’s see.

July 8. While at the NATO conference in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday, Trump said that his friend, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey despises Israel and Mr. Netanyahu so much that he was considering joining in the Iranian attack on Israel. But Trump confirmed that out of respect for Mr. Trump, he did not.

How quickly things change. Trump came to Turkey with high praise for Erdogan because the Turkish president was his go-between with Iran. Erdogan gets on well with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the militant terrorists in Iran whose primary objective is to destroy Israel. He was supposed to hold the terror regime at bay. He has obviously been a disappointment and has failed miserably. It was reported that the U.S. anticipates Iran attempting to place more mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said Wednesday morning about Iran: “They’re evil people. They’re sick people and they’re mentally disturbed people.” Next week it’s Bibi in DC. 

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.