Middle East Crisis

Iran War
Analysis: Trump is more like a PR consultant than a leader

In an analysis for Sky News, US correspondent James Matthews says that Trump has sounded more like a PR consultant than a president over the past week.

He points out that Trump constantly talks about the war in positive terms – that negotiations have begun, and that they will talk about the Strait of Hormuz – and then shows his frustration when Iran does not play along.

Trump's credibility is affected, Matthews believes, when he swings so sharply between claiming that things are moving forward and then admitting that things are standing still.

– Nothing we have heard in the past 24 hours will secure the trust of his voters, military and allies, who may need to help him get out of this pit, he says.

The Guardian's Andrew Roth points out in his analysis that Trump has always operated on the principle of claiming victory and never admitting defeat, but that unfortunately he seems to have found an equally stubborn counterpart in Iran's hard-line regime.

For CNN, Stephen Collinson writes that it is noticeable that Trump risks being remembered for the stalemate with Iran - and that he would rather live on in people's memories through his renovations of the capital's monuments.

"Trump is juggling some of the most serious issues confronted by a modern president, such as the war, with some of the most insignificant, such as a power struggle over Washington's water mirror," he writes.

Gaza war
Peace council demands Hamas disarmament before Israel leaves Gaza

Hamas must be disarmed before Israel withdraws from Gaza, believes Donald Trump's so-called peace council according to AFP.

The statement comes after Israel expressed criticism of the agreement that was lifted by Trump last week. According to the agreement, which was also signed by Hamas, the terror group would disarm only after the Israeli military has withdrawn from the area.

Israel's retreat will take place "only after disarmament is complete," the council writes on X.

During the day, the peace council's representative for Gaza, Nickolaj Mladenov, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.