By deploying its US Navy and Air Force massively, President Trump could not win the war against Iran. American F-35 aircraft were downed, and naval aircraft carriers ran away from the battlefield, wagging their tails after they were hit by Iranian missiles and drones
Now Trump is forced to adopt different options to secure a safe exit, or what may be termed ‘face-saving’. It appears only one person can help Trump in this regard: Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Gen Asim Munir.
This is evident from the fact that President Trump called Gen Asim Munir last week and discussed the latest situation in the Middle East conflict. The American President knows that Gen Asim is the only person the Iranian leadership listen to and considers him a reliable, credible peacemaker, along with Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi. The two have been visiting Iran frequently since the war broke out between them.
Diplomatic circles believe that President Trump gave Gen Asim Munir the mandate to visit Tehran and offer them a proposal that includes the following: - if Iran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to its pre-war position and stops its proxies from attacking Americans and Israelis, the US, in return, will end the blockade of Iranian ports and lift economic sanctions.
This led Gen Asim Munir to undertake a sudden journey to the Iranian capital with Mohsin Naqvi. As always, the top Iranian leadership received him with usual warmth and enthusiasm. The Army chief met with Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian and Speaker of the Parliament Bagher Ghalibaf, along with other senior figures in the Islamic government.
The day’s visit concluded with high optimism, as the Iranian Presidential spokesman said it was very fruitful and that positive developments would follow in a few days. Gen Asim Munir and Mohsin Naqvi shared this optimistic view.
Within 24 hours of Gen Asim’s visit to Tehran, the Russian media reported, quoting reliable Iranian and Pakistani sources, that a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran was in the offing.
When Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was asked to comment on Russian media reports, he smiled and said: “Good news will start coming soon”.
Trump seems to be in a hurry to resolve the situation for two reasons. First, to preserve his country's image as a superpower and the reputation of its military might. Secondly, to get rid of the ever-increasing domestic pressure on him, as the midterm elections are approaching fast and will be held in November this year.
People in the United States have disowned the war by coming out on roads across the country in millions, chanting the slogan ‘No war, No King’ and terming the armed conflict as Netanyahu’s war.
Resolutions have been passed in the US Senate and the Congress demanding curtailment of Trump’s power to wage a war against any country. So much so that a few Senators of Trump’s Republican Party voted in favour of these drafts.
It is now easy to conclude that Trump is no longer in a position to resume military attacks against Iran, as has been stated by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he said resuming military attacks against Iran would be converted into economic sanctions against Iran.
War observers are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping this human catastrophe ends soon, provided the leadership on both sides of the fence demonstrates wisdom and prudence.