After what he described as a "very good" two-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said no final decisions about Iran's nuclear program were made. In a post on social media, he emphasized that negotiations would continue "to see whether or not a deal can be consummated."
Many observers say Iran cannot be trusted and argue that the United States should unleash its sizable military force against the rogue regime. However, Bob Maginnis, president of Maginnis Strategies, LLC, notes that Trump approaches such situations as a businessman who prefers to negotiate and "doesn't listen to certain people."
"I would imagine Bibi went over and told him some secret stuff about what the Iranian situation is on the ground— that it's not good, that a little push would knock them off, and perhaps there could be a replacement in the wings," Maginnis suggests.
"All that having been said, if they could have handled this on the phone call, then Bibi wouldn't have come here," the analyst continues. "So, he had something serious to say. Did it have something to do with the nuclear program or just the regime possibly collapsing? I think that's the question."
But Maginnis does not expect President Trump to do anything proactive in the foreseeable future.
"Just because he's trying to encourage them does not mean he promises to strike the Iranian regime," he tells AFN. "I think the chance of some sort of status quo, that is that regime continues to limp along, is probably pretty good."
