Reference News Network, June 29 report: The UK's "The Economist" weekly website published an article titled "How to Win Peace in the Middle East" on June 26. The following is a translated excerpt:

Trump took a gamble. But did he win? He bombed Iran's nuclear facilities and immediately imposed a ceasefire between Israel and Iran without causing any harm to the United States. This was a relief for those who feared that Iran would retaliate fiercely.

However, these risks only account for half of the considerations: the other factor is whether the United States can use a strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Now, the best way for Trump to achieve this goal is to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement with the Iranian regime. He could compel Middle Eastern countries to support the agreement through trade and investment rather than preparing for war. These are daunting tasks, but even if Trump only partially succeeds, he will lock in an award that his predecessors could never have obtained.

The intense debate surrounding the effectiveness of bombing Iran's nuclear facilities must not obscure the core truth that bombing alone is unlikely to destroy all of Iran's nuclear facilities in a verifiable manner, nor can it ever eliminate Iran's nuclear technology. Trump needs to convince Iran in the nuclear agreement that pursuing nuclear weapons is not worth it.

By proposing a nuclear agreement that serves the interests of all parties, Trump can influence the choices of the Iranian regime. The United States should demand that Iran abandon its highly enriched uranium and accept international inspections. Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium up to reactor level, but under strict conditions. In exchange, negotiations should discuss lifting sanctions and threats against Iran by Europe and the United States.

Do not imagine this is an easy task. The pressing issue is the whereabouts of the 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium—America's target of the air strike. Negotiations may stall due to mutual accusations.

This is why Trump should also strive to set a new direction for the Middle East to change Iran's motivation to develop nuclear weapons. After defeating Iran, Israel should turn a new page, just as it did when it reconciled with Egypt after the 1973 war.

Reaching a nuclear agreement and achieving normal relations will be very difficult—especially for a president lacking focus and prone to improvisation.

If Trump loses interest (which is very likely), other options will be bleak. If Iran's nuclear program resurfaces, Israel will bomb Iran again. However, the second or third operation will be technically and diplomatically more difficult than the first. Iran will learn from this, and the world will lose patience with repeatedly using war as a stopgap measure. The United States will also have to support Israel. Eventually, the bombing might seem futile, thus creating a rift between the United States and Israel. Trump has already bet everything. If he wants to win, there is still a lot of hard work ahead. (Translated by Cao Weiguo)

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521236939992629802/

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