US President Donald Trump’s overtures to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine as well as Israel and Iran may be a move to secure the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, a military historian said Thursday.
Jose Antonio Custodio, a military historian and security and defense analyst, said the US brokering peace talks between warring countries is not without precedent but noted Trump has yet to forge a lasting peace deal.
“Was he successful in brokering peace talks between Ukraine and Russia? No, he was not…Tingin ni Trump feeling niya kaya naman niya. Good luck sa kanya,” he said in a DZMM interview.
He said Trump’s penchant for exaggeration backfired when he announced that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire, only to see both sides violate the agreement immediately.
A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency report also debunked Trump’s claim that US strikes had “totally obliterated” 3 nuclear facilities in Iran.
“Hindi ko alam kung naka-fentanyl [siya]. He over-exaggerates. Exaggeration is bad enough,” he said, adding that there is a “spin war” on how much damage was done in Iran.
Custodio also pointed out the deep enmity between Iran and Israel after the Ayatollah Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic of Iran and started proxy wars against Israel.
He said one possible rationale for Trump’s support for an attack on Iran is to project himself as a strong leader amid widespread unrest in the US. At least 10 million Americans participated in the “No Kings” protests all over the US less than 2 weeks ago.