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Donald Trump's petrol-bomb diplomacy adds fuel to Middle East blaze

As the US President pours petrol on fires in the Middle East Iran pokes the blaze, displaying a terrifying appetite to soak up punishment and the spectre of another war beckons for the region

[Coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei carried in Najaf, Iraq]

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Coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei carried in Najaf, Iraq(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The US - Iran escalation is the worst since an interim peace deal was struck between the two sides last month but it also stands out for another reason.

As the dust settles on around 80 sites targeted by American forces some analysts are suggesting some of the US strikes were up to five times more powerful. This could be a sign that Washington, or perhaps more specifically Donald Trump is growing tired of diplomacy and is building up to a more decisive military move against Tehran.

And in the background to all of this Israel has a vested interest in encouraging America not to adhere to the terms of the memorandum of understanding. Israel hated this deal from the start because it includes Lebanon and to some degree threatens to restrict its ability to hit Hezbollah with pre-emptive strikes.

[US President Donald Trump]

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US President Donald Trump 'growing tired of diplomacy'(Image: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

And the US and Iran are trapped in a seemingly never-ending vortex of warfare which Trump constantly stirs with bellicose language such as calling Tehrans leaders scum. The latest exchange of missiles happened as Tehrans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire on three oil and gas tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

All three were apparently travelling through the US-recommended Oman side of the Strait, as opposed to the one Iran demands they use, on its side. The Iran attacks were a direct snub to Washingtons dwindling authority in the region and America has reacted with extremely robust attacks on Iranian soil.

[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu]

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - 'deal has been hated from the start'(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Tehran knew there would be a strong American reaction but has displayed a near-psychotic appetite for soaking up military pressure from the US. American forces have thrown everything they have at Tehran and thus far it appears to have had little effect except to deplete it of air defences, naval vessels and troops.

[Blasts in Iran's major port city of Bandar Abbas]

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Blasts in Iran's major port city of Bandar Abbas(Image: UGC/UNKNOWN/AFP via Getty Images)

On a practical level US Central Command says it has been launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping. But it has being doing this for months now, on and off, and yet Tehran still displays the ability to keep attacking, seemingly whenever it wants to do so.

This is also having the effect of leaving places like Bahrain feeling exposed. Meanwhile all of this fallout is giving Israel breathing space to whittle down the threat from Hezbollah, whilst militarily depleting Irans weapons and ability to defend itself - albeit at a snails pace. Trump is being read, perfectly predicted and even controlled by both Iran and Israel and each US attack makes Tehran even more determined.

[Blasts in Iran's major port city of Bandar Abbas]

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Small boat traffic off Iranian coast before attacks(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The US has revoked the part of the memorandum of understanding that allowed Tehran to trade in oil, as punishment for the latest attacks. It could be that Iran is over-extending itself, as the regime and its increasingly powerful IRGC has a tendency to do when it is waging war. And that can only lead towards a blown-up ceasefire agreement and a return to war unless Washington finds a way of backing down without humiliation.

This is almost impossible to achieve as most of the western world is feeling the pressure and economic fallout from the crisis, because the Strait of Hormuz remains precarious for shipping. And Donald Trumps petrol bomb diplomacy is adding fuel to the blaze in the region.

[Chris Hughes]

Chris Hughes

Chris Hughes is the Daily Mirror's award-winning Defence and Security Editor. Chris won UK Press Awards Specialist Journalist of the year in 2013. As an experienced war correspondent he has reported from frontlines in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Korea, Pakistan and Ukraine. As well as commenting on the military and geopolitics he also specialises in covering terrorism and the intelligence world. He has reported on terror attacks globally including 9-11 in the US and throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.

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