BY the end of this month, could Donald Trump have the pleasure of adding to the tally of wars he claims to have halted? Let’s hope so. Never mind that it’s a conflict he initiated in connivance with Israel. The unprovoked belligerence won’t be forgotten and cannot be forgiven, but an end to the hostilities would obviously be welcome.

It is not yet imminent, though. After Tehran responded to the US president’s weekend threat to destroy Iran’s energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz wasn’t opened to all shipping within 48 hours, by declaring it would then irreversibly damage similar facilities across neighbouring states and mine the Gulf, Trump appeared to back down. Iranian missiles wreaking havoc in Arad and Dimona, the site of Israel’s main nuclear facilities, no doubt played a part. The US president offered a five-day reprieve, purportedly because of “very good and productive” US discussions with Iran towards a “complete and total resolution of hostilities”.

Tehran has denied all knowledge of direct negotiations. The fog of war makes it even harder than usual to distinguish between half-truths and outright lies. Both tend to be scattered across mainstream media in the West; even Al Jazeera is a less reliable........

© Dawn