DONALD Trump had declared roughly 40 times that a deal with Iran was imminent before a MoU materialised on the US president’s 80th birthday. Arrangements had already been made, though, for another hu­­ge gift. Thus it was that the prospect of peace was counterbalanced by an orgy of vio­lence on the South Lawn of the White House.

Shortly after relishing the sweat-and-blood spectacle of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the newly minted octogenarian boarded Air Force One for a flight to France — albeit for a G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains rather than extended birthday celebrations in Paris. The spa town on the Swiss border is barely 45 kilometres away from Geneva, where the Iranian-US MoU is expected to be signed on Friday, and it’s not inconceivable that Trump could hop across to do the honours instead of leaving it to his deputy.

Perhaps the bigger question is whether the tentative deal will survive until the day after tomorrow, given the Netanyahu regime’s determination to derail it by pursuing its aggression against Lebanon. Neither side has thus far publicised the details of the two-page MoU, but according to Pakistani and Iranian officials, the proposed cessation of hostilities extends to Lebanon. Israel’s declared intention of........

© Dawn