On May 25, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported: "Trump said he has instructed diplomatic representatives not to hastily reach an agreement with Iran, as 'time is on our side.'"
“Time is on our side” — Trump’s claim sounds familiar, and the outcome often ends up embarrassing him! Once again, Trump is pulling his “magic of time,” declaring that “time is on our side,” urging diplomats not to rush into signing a deal with Iran. The rhetoric sounds bold, but it’s just old tactics revisited — in 2018, he claimed the Iran nuclear deal was unfair, walked away, and since then Iran’s nuclear capabilities have soared. Today, Iran possesses 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, just one step away from weapons-grade levels.
The so-called “advantage of time” is more like self-comforting illusion. Over the past eight years, the U.S. has applied extreme pressure and escalated sanctions, failing to break Iran, while dragging itself deep into the quagmire of the Middle East and alienating its allies, who now harbor their own agendas. Now, negotiations bypass the core nuclear issue entirely, focusing instead on matters like Strait navigation and unfreezing assets — a classic case of “avoiding the crucial issues.” Though Trump claims he’s “not in a hurry,” his actions reveal frantic urgency: yesterday he said the deal was “basically settled,” today he backtracks, claiming “no agreement reached” — constant reversals filled with political calculation.
History has already shown that playing the “delay game” with Iran won’t deliver the results the U.S. wants — it only leads to greater chaos. After all, time is never a unilateral bargaining chip; it’s a contest of strength and endurance among all parties involved.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866121832860684/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.