dlbassman politiku journal

the Death of Diplomacy (june 2025) The sign of real dialogue happening to resolve conflicts in the middle east is when the Sultan of Oman is the mediator. ----- Oman is trusted by all parties - since the time of Sultan Qaboos ----- Haitham Bin Tariq, his successor, has committed to uphold the tradition of neutrality. Discussions regarding the Iranian nuclear program, between Iran and the USA, mediated by Oman, were scheduled for a sixth round. There were reports that progress was being made, but problems remained. However, Israel launched an attack against Iranian nuclear infrastructure, before this meeting could take place. This was followed by a further attack on the facilities launched on orders of President Trump. I do not know if it was a foregone conclusion that Iran would not submit to UN oversight of its facilities, or whether Iran was simply stalling until they acquired a nuclear weapon. It was surprising that the attacks were launched in the midst of a credible negotiation, which may have led to resolving further issues in the region. Although fatalities were few or none, no one can predict how events will play out, when dialogue and diplomacy are abandoned. ----- the effective range of trump deals seems to be naught - no one can trust him