Biased diplomacy

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President Donald Trump, perhaps, has a lopsided plan in the name of peace for the Middle East. It is quite unfortunate that rather than acting as honest broker, credible to his stature of a superpower's leader, Trump believes in showcasing bias for Israel and contempt for Iran, as he warned the Islamic Republic of dire consequences in days to come.

This is brinkmanship and will certainly not lead to a perpetual peace as the US president wants it to be as he called for "real end" to the conflict and not "just a ceasefire". The point is any baby step towards de-escalation shall begin with pacifying both the sides to return from the brink and not with a carrot and stick approach in extreme coercion. Thus, Trump's initiative to send in either his Vice-President, JD Vance, or the Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Iran is mired in confusion, and necessitates some plain-talking.

The G7 summit, nonetheless, could not carry the momentum as the members appeared non-committal to an instant de-escalation. The stance from Canada that Israel has "right to defense" without mentioning the "aggression" that was unleashed on Iran by the Jewish state has led to some crippled diplomacy. Moreover, the G7's conviction that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon" was out of context at a time when an existential crisis is at hand, and Tehran has officially reiterated more than once that it has no plans for a nuclear weapon.

Tehran has rightly condemned the double-talk; and surprisingly, a statement from 20 Muslim nations has come to its rescue, condemning Israel's recent military attacks and a call for de-escalation and swift return to negotiations for a sustainable agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme.

The way forward is an immediate cessation of hostilities, and for that to happen, the onus rests with the United Nations. The world body has once again not led from the front, and the Middle East is slipping into the abyss of an unpredictable crisis. Last but not least, the Israeli threat to 'vanish' Tehran, as panic takes roots in the capital, must be attended to instantly, before it gets too late.