"Tomorrow he could declare war": The commentator warning about Trump's next reversal

The announcement by US President Donald Trump that Washington intends to "lower its profile" on the Iran issue has reignited the debate surrounding the White House's shifting policy toward the Ayatollah regime. Suleiman Maswada, a commentator for "Channel 13 News," addressed the developments in a conversation with Gideon Oko and Nissim Mishal on 103fm, warning that even the current statement does not necessarily indicate the direction the American president will choose later.

"I have stopped being worried and excited by Trump's words. Tomorrow it could be different, and the day after tomorrow he could flip again. Tomorrow he could declare war, and three days after that a deal, and next week it will flip again," said Maswada.

According to him, one of the considerations influencing Trump is the political arena within the United States, primarily the midterm elections to be held in November. Maswada mentioned that from the very beginning it was clear that this was a significant political challenge for the president.

"We have been talking since the first day about the fact that the midterm elections are problematic and troubling elections. The midterm elections are only in November. I think Trump is currently satisfied with the economic siege on Iran that is hurting their economy. I don't know how satisfied Israel will be with this, but when the Iranian people are hungry for a loaf of bread — the Revolutionary Guards will get stronger. Trump has chosen a side, I don't want to say the side of the Arab countries, but that is the situation," he noted.

Maswada also pointed to the gap that has formed, according to him, between the aspirations presented at the beginning of the contacts and the current situation. "Pay attention to the fiasco," he said. "We were in a memorandum of understanding that was supposed to be the path to a full agreement. We are now talking about an agreement that is below the memorandum of understanding, and which is not between the United States and Iran at all. It is between Oman and Iran, and even that is not happening yet."

"I feel like they are literally begging Trump to attack them"

Despite the relatively reassuring statements currently coming from Washington, Maswada believes that the possibility of escalation is still on the table, mainly due to Trump's unpredictable nature and the provocative statements from Tehran.

"Trump could decide that his ego is so bruised that he must return to war. With him, everything is possible. The Iranians are really humiliating him. I feel like they are literally begging Trump to attack them. Every day a different statement from a different senior official that 'we humiliated the United States, we achieved what we wanted.' The reality is a bit further from what they present. The Iranians are liars. Their economy has been hit very hard," he said.

Hamas continues the process of rehabilitation and strengthening

Later in the conversation, Maswada moved on to the Israeli arena and the situation in the Gaza Strip, against the backdrop of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position against the 15-point plan for the future of the Strip. According to him, on the military level, Israel is currently in a strong position on the ground, even if Hamas has not yet been defeated.

"From a security perspective, Israel's situation in Gaza is very good. People will say that Hamas is still standing, and that is true. In terms of territory, Israel controls almost seventy percent of the territory in the Gaza Strip. That is a huge number. Huge percentages. The most populated and dense area in the whole world, and that was before the IDF controlled seventy percent of the territory," he said.

However, he warned that Hamas is continuing a gradual process of rehabilitation and strengthening. According to him, the smuggling network is not operating at the volumes that characterized it in the past, but the organization still holds a significant ability to control daily life in the Strip. "Regarding the strengthening of the terrorist organization, it is true. It is strengthening slowly. The smuggling is not what it used to be, but slowly it is returning. It controls the economy, what enters the Strip, the markets, and the taxes. It still has the ability to control. In terms of weapons — it still has the weapons it saved."

Internal struggles in the Likud

Toward the end, Maswada also addressed the allegations raised against the medical staff at Rambam Hospital. In his view, the very public engagement with the issue is largely related to the internal political struggles in the Likud.

"We are talking about this item for only one reason: there are primaries in the Likud. This time it is especially blatant, and it is one of the most dangerous things one can do, especially when it comes from the Minister of Defense. If there was any harm to IDF soldiers, let them check it. And if it happened, let them draw conclusions."