Does Trump Want Peace Between Iran and Israel?
- john raymond
- Jun 24
- 3 min read
Yes, but only because Putin does—and even then, only on Putin's terms.
The central question isn’t whether Donald Trump seeks peace in the Middle East, but rather: what kind of “peace,” and on whose behalf?
To answer that, you have to begin from the only framework that consistently explains Trump’s foreign policy since his return to power—he acts in alignment with Vladimir Putin’s strategic goals. His actions are not those of a sovereign American president managing U.S. interests, but of a subordinate figure moving within the logic of Russian geopolitical aims.
So, does Trump want peace between Israel and Iran? Yes—but only a specific type: an uneasy, manipulated détente that runs through him, that bolsters his personal stature, and most importantly, one that serves Putin’s broader campaign to destabilize NATO while keeping his Iranian proxy functional.
The Real Objective: Controlled Detente, Not Genuine Resolution
Putin’s dream is a fractured NATO and a pliable Iran that can continue supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine—whether through drones, asymmetric harassment, or oil-market disruptions. But for this to be viable, the Iran–Israel conflict must not explode into full war, nor resolve into a clean Western-aligned peace.
What Putin needs—and Trump tries to deliver—is just enough war to cause global alarm, and just enough calm to prevent the complete collapse of Putin's proxy.
This balancing act requires coordination and deceit, not truth or diplomacy. That’s why Trump’s “limited strikes” on Iran—aimed at unmanned nuclear facilities—weren’t about eliminating threats. They were meant to appear bold without truly damaging Iran’s war-fighting capacity or escalating into a conflict that might force Iran into desperation.
Why Did Trump Strike? Because Putin Gave the Nod
Trump’s action came after Israel had already attacked. In the world of autocrats, that was a breach of protocol—Netanyahu moved without Moscow’s signal.
Trump’s retaliatory strikes were an attempt to reassert the hierarchy: that he, not Israel, is the senior partner in the U.S.–Israel axis. But the deeper reason is strategic: Trump struck Iran not out of American principle, but because Putin saw an opportunity.
Putin's reasoning went like this:
A unilateral U.S. strike would fracture NATO even further, undermining consensus and exposing European fear and indecision.
The attack would not be seen as coordinated Western policy, but as a rogue act of American belligerence—isolating the U.S. diplomatically while making Putin seem restrained by comparison.
The optics of Trump being “decisive” and “in control” could position him as the key to de-escalation—thus returning him to the center of the Israel–Iran power dynamic.
Iran, humiliated but not destroyed, would return to Putin’s orbit more tightly, grateful that Russia hadn’t let "the West" finish them off entirely.
Trump the “Peacemaker” Myth: A Tool of Propaganda
What this reveals is the falsehood at the heart of CNN’s recent framing—and of so many mainstream narratives that label Trump a "peacemaker" or someone “reluctant” to engage in conflict.
The truth is harsher and more disturbing: Trump makes war when it serves Putin. His goal is not peace; it is leverage. He doesn’t broker calm to save lives but to accrue power—first to himself, and secondly—and as equally—to help the man in Moscow who allows him to keep playing world leader.
When Trump becomes the hinge of conflict resolution, he gets to dictate the terms—and that is what Putin wants. It ensures Europe sees America as an unstable actor, while Moscow remains the shadow stabilizer behind the chaos.
This dynamic is only possible if Iran isn’t wiped out and Israel is corralled into de-escalation. Hence, Trump does desire a ceasefire, but only after he has reasserted himself as "indispensable."
Trump and Putin See Peace as a Weapon, Not as a Goal
Trump doesn’t want peace between Israel and Iran in the democratic, stabilizing sense of the word. He wants a false peace—a brittle détente that gives him the appearance of control over Israel and reinforces Putin’s global leverage.
That is why Trump attacked, why he hesitated, why he now insists on being the center of any resolution. Because in this game, peace isn’t the goal. A weaponized détente is.
The only way to understand this is to abandon the fiction that Trump acts in America’s interest or from any coherent principle beyond servility to Russian power.
Until the world confronts that reality, it will keep getting played—by Putin, by Trump, and by the machinery of deceit they operate together.
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