The world watched as a major crisis unfolded between Israel and Iran. The man at the center of it all was the US President. He was glued to updates, spending hours in strategy sessions. Then, something unexpected happened. He stepped out for a brief moment. He was not discussing the crisis. He was overseeing the installation of massive flagpoles. This pause lasted about an hour. It was a strange contrast to the serious decisions he was making.

        The next day, he made a big call. He decided not to order a strike on Iran. Instead, he chose to wait and see if diplomacy could work. This decision came after many meetings. In these meetings, he reviewed attack plans and talked to officials about the possible outcomes. He had been talking tough on social media. But privately, he had concerns. He did not want a military strike to lead to a long war.

        The president had been getting advice from different sides. Some wanted a strike, others did not. He had been talking to his CIA Director and the Joint Chiefs Chairman. His foreign envoy was also in talks with Iran. Meanwhile, some officials were sidelined. The president publicly disagreed with his Director of National Intelligence. He said she was wrong about Iran's nuclear program.

        The president's team had been preparing for this moment for months. They knew Israel might strike Iran. They had drawn up plans for possible US involvement. The president had also spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister. He knew Israel was planning to start a campaign in Iran. A few days later, the president was in Canada. He met with top American allies. They wanted to know his plan. But he did not reveal his hand. He left the summit early to deal with the matter himself.

        By midweek, the president's patience was wearing thin. Many of his allies thought he was about to order a strike. But he was still considering his options. He was worried about a longer-term war. He was also getting messages from all sides of his political coalition. Some supported a strike, others did not. He had been talking to a prominent voice in support of striking Iran. He had also met with a voice opposing a strike. The president was trying to find a solution that would please the widest swath of his supporters.

        The president had faced many major choices like this during his time in office. He had solicited advice and tried to arrive at a solution. But this time, it was not as simple. He was confronting an adversary with a long history of hardening its positions under pressure from the United States. As he arrived at his home in New Jersey, he said it would be hard to ask Israel to ease up on strikes. He said the two-week window he set was the maximum period of time he would allow for diplomacy to work. He reserved the option of ordering a strike before that time was up. The president could not say whether the decision in front of him was the biggest he'd face as president. But he did offer an evaluation of what he wanted his legacy to be. "Always a peacemaker, " he said. "That doesn't mean - sometimes, you need some toughness to make peace. But always a peacemaker. "

Trump's Flagpole Pause: The Unexpected Break in Iran Tensions

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