Trump drops Iran ultimatum after realizing he had nothing to gain

2026-03-23 - 21:45

There is no reason to get excited about Trump's decision to withdraw his ultimatum and not bomb Iran's power grid. Such a move would have run counter to US interests and to the war's objectives. The president, it appears, realized belatedly that it was better to climb down than to create an unnecessary crisis. To understand what happened, one must go back to last week. At Trump's request, Israel struck an Iranian gas production facility. It was an attempt to test Iran's response and determine whether such a blow would deter what remains of the regime. At the same time, in order not to embarrass the US if the move failed, it was agreed that the Israeli Air Force would carry out the operation while Trump would pretend he knew nothing about it. That is exactly what happened, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, played along fully. The two were coordinated to that extent. But Iran did not blink. On the contrary, it raised the stakes and struck energy facilities in Gulf states. In response, Trump confronted Iran head-on and demanded the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. In a now famous ultimatum, he gave Iran 48 hours, but the regime continued on its aggressive course. It must be said that the threat did not deter it. Iran's strategy, after all, is: "I may die, but on the way I'll take everyone down with me." Damage to the Fujairah oil facility in the United Arab Emirates. Photo: Reuters At the same time, during those two days global energy prices surged, and the shah's son called on Trump to reconsider. According to him, damage to the electricity infrastructure would primarily hurt the Iranian people, who are already suffering. In other words, carrying out the threat would have hurt the US more than the regime, which has shown no sensitivity to the plight of its citizens. Such a development is not part of the war's objectives. In addition, reopening the strait is also not a central goal. Its closure may embarrass the Americans, but other countries would be hurt far more. That is why the excuse was found in the form of "constructive talks" with Iran, whose tone evidently pleased the president. There may be something to that, since rumors of efforts to end the war through an agreement have been multiplying for days. Be that as it may, Trump's decision to climb down was expected and even justified. In the coming week, the markets are expected to stabilize, energy prices to fall, and pressure on the Iranian regime to continue. Sometimes it is better to retreat from an unnecessary threat than to stick to it and become entangled, together with the rest of the world, for no good reason.