<p data-start="366" data-end="704">In a dramatic and characteristically unfiltered address on Sunday, former U.S. President Donald Trump raised the prospect of American involvement in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting a potential role as mediator while expressing openness to working with Russian President Vladimir Putin in de-escalation efforts.</p>
<p data-start="706" data-end="1006">Speaking to reporters in an off-camera briefing and later through a flurry of social media posts, Trump declared, <em data-start="820" data-end="860">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s possible we could get involved,&rdquo;</em> referring to the intensifying hostilities that have seen Israel carry out direct strikes on Iranian soil, prompting retaliatory missile barrages.</p>
<p data-start="1008" data-end="1194">He added, <em data-start="1018" data-end="1068">&ldquo;We are not at this moment involved militarily,&rdquo;</em> but stopped short of ruling out future engagement, should the conflict threaten broader regional stability or U.S. interests.</p>
<p data-start="1196" data-end="1552">Trump also reasserted that talks on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear programme were ongoing, despite there being no public evidence to suggest diplomatic dialogue since Israel&rsquo;s air offensive began on Friday. Tehran, in fact, cancelled a planned sixth round of indirect talks with Washington on Sunday &mdash; a signal of hardening positions as the regional confrontation deepens.</p>
<h3 data-start="1554" data-end="1595"><strong data-start="1558" data-end="1595">Trump&rsquo;s Ambitions to Broker Peace</strong></h3>
<p data-start="1597" data-end="1805">Trump went further, casting himself once again as a global dealmaker. He claimed he could resolve the Iran-Israel impasse in much the same way he claimed to have halted hostilities between India and Pakistan.</p>
<p data-start="1807" data-end="2109"><em data-start="1807" data-end="1911">&ldquo;Iran and Israel should make a deal and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make,&rdquo;</em> he posted. <em data-start="1923" data-end="2109">&ldquo;In that case, by using trade with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and stop!&rdquo;</em></p>
<p data-start="2111" data-end="2320">This extraordinary assertion &mdash; implying that U.S. trade leverage was instrumental in averting war between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours &mdash; drew sharp contrast to the official line from New Delhi.</p>
<h3 data-start="2322" data-end="2347"><strong data-start="2326" data-end="2347">India Pushes Back</strong></h3>
<p data-start="2349" data-end="2799">India&rsquo;s Ministry of External Affairs has firmly denied any third-party role in the de-escalation. According to the Indian government, the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan was reached bilaterally on May 10, following four days of intense cross-border missile and drone attacks. Indian officials emphasised that the understanding was the product of direct military and diplomatic channels, without involvement from Washington or any external mediator.</p>
<p data-start="2801" data-end="3145">Analysts familiar with India&rsquo;s longstanding policy of strategic autonomy in security matters noted that Trump&rsquo;s claim, while politically convenient, appeared detached from the ground realities of India-Pakistan dynamics &mdash; particularly given India&rsquo;s consistent opposition to internationalising the Kashmir dispute or accepting foreign mediation.</p>
<h3 data-start="3147" data-end="3203"><strong data-start="3151" data-end="3203">The Broader Narrative: Trump&rsquo;s Peace Credentials</strong></h3>
<p data-start="3205" data-end="3511">Trump also invoked past flashpoints to bolster his reputation as a peacemaker. He claimed credit for halting violence in the Balkans, stating: <em data-start="3348" data-end="3511">&ldquo;During my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades&hellip; This long-time conflict was ready to break out into war.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p data-start="3513" data-end="3751">While his administration did broker a limited economic normalisation agreement between the two adversaries in 2020, the situation on the ground in Kosovo has remained fragile, and tensions persist, particularly in the Serb-majority north.</p>
<h3 data-start="3753" data-end="3796"><strong data-start="3757" data-end="3796">Middle East Crisis and U.S. Posture</strong></h3>
<p data-start="3798" data-end="4086">Trump&rsquo;s comments come at a moment when Israel&rsquo;s military campaign against Iran has reshaped the regional security map. What began as a shadow war of proxies and covert operations has now exploded into open warfare, dragging in the broader region and threatening the stability of the Gulf.</p>
<p data-start="4088" data-end="4441">Washington&rsquo;s traditional support for Israel remains unwavering, but this fresh crisis puts U.S. diplomacy under strain. Trump&rsquo;s call to involve Putin in mediation efforts &mdash; though unlikely to gain traction under the current Biden administration &mdash; reflects a broader recalibration he envisions, where great-power dialogue replaces regional entanglements.</p>
<h3 data-start="4443" data-end="4475"><strong data-start="4447" data-end="4475">A Strategy of Isolation?</strong></h3>
<p data-start="4477" data-end="4911">Beyond rhetoric, seasoned observers interpret Trump&rsquo;s posturing as an attempt to frame the U.S.-Israel axis as a force of global stabilisation, even as critics argue it deepens rifts with Muslim-majority nations. If re-elected, Trump is expected to double down on a strategy of leveraging Israel&rsquo;s technological and military prowess to forge selective alliances &mdash; while isolating adversaries like Iran diplomatically and economically.</p>
<p data-start="4913" data-end="5226">Yet, such a realignment may not sit easily with key Gulf players like Saudi Arabia or Turkey, both of whom have complex and evolving relationships with Tehran. The push to position Israel as a central partner across regional blocs risks fuelling polarisation, especially if conflict escalation outpaces diplomacy.</p>
<h3 data-start="5228" data-end="5246"><strong data-start="5232" data-end="5246">Point of View:</strong></h3>
<p data-start="5248" data-end="5584">Trump&rsquo;s statements, part diplomatic overture and part campaign bravado, underscore the former president&rsquo;s enduring belief in transactional geopolitics. Whether in the Middle East, South Asia, or Eastern Europe, his assertions frame peace not as a process, but as a personal triumph &mdash; driven by leverage, leadership, and unilateral will.</p>
<p data-start="5586" data-end="5912" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">As the crisis in the Middle East deepens, and with India rejecting the notion of U.S. mediation, Trump&rsquo;s remarks raise more questions than they answer. What remains clear is that the theatre of global conflict continues to serve as a backdrop to his political narrative &mdash; one in which the art of the deal still reigns supreme.</p>

Israel PM Netanyahu, US President Trump and Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei

Mediation efforts were credited to Trump, though India denied any third-party role

Trump Claims Role in Iran-Israel, India-Pak Peace

Mediation efforts were credited to Trump, though India denied any third-party role

June 16, 2025 | 05:28 IST