Trump's Iran strategy has been transformed by Israeli persistence and Iranian defiance, says Karim Sadjadpour

IRAN HAS an uncanny way of hijacking American presidencies. The 1979 Iranian revolution and subsequent hostage crisis ended Jimmy Carter's presidency. The Iran-contra affair tainted Ronald Reagan's presidency. Iranian machinations in post-war Iraq corroded George W. Bush's presidency. The October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas, a member of Iran's axis of resistance, triggered a brutal war that subsumed Joe Biden's presidency. Donald Trump may have envisioned a second term spent striking deals to resolve wars, but the Iran-Israel war could suck him in, too.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Telegraph

29 minutes ago

• Telegraph

Protesters attacked outside Iranian Embassy

Police have arrested six men after protesters were attacked outside the Iranian Embassy in London. Two men have been treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital, the Metropolitan Police said. The attack comes amid the ongoing Israel-Iran war. Donald Trump, the US president, said that he would decide in the next fortnight whether or not his country would intervene in the conflict. The Iranian flag and posters are in the background outside the embassy, where an earlier protest took place. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'At 09:53hrs on Friday, 20 June, officers responded to reports of an altercation in Prince's Gate, SW1. 'Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody. 'Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service. 'Police have cordoned off the area while initial investigations take place.'

The National

29 minutes ago

• The National

UK scrambles to charter flights out of Israel for British citizens

Downing Street urged Britons in the region to register their presence with the Foreign Office as the crisis deepens and Keir Starmer called on all sides to reach a diplomatic outcome. Number 10 on Friday morning said that the situation remains 'fast-moving' and would continue to be monitored closely as the Government works with Israeli authorities to ready flights out of Tel Aviv. A spokesman added: 'We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights. 'The Foreign Secretary will shortly announce that the Government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport once airspace reopens.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy said work was underway to provide the flights 'based on levels of demand' from UK citizens when airspace reopens. Land routes out of Israel remain open and British staff are on hand to support UK nationals who have crossed the border, he added. (Image: Nathan Howard, REUTERS) Starmer has also urged Donald Trump (above) to step back from military action against Iran after a series of sabre-rattling posts from the US president on his Truth Social platform. The Prime Minister said there is a 'real risk of escalation' in the conflict, adding that there had previously been 'several rounds of discussions with the US' and 'that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue'. Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. READ MORE: UK's 'Union flag plane damaged' in pro-Palestine RAF break-in Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded, according to the Israeli authorities. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs, which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer (below) is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Trump decides to back up Israeli attacks on Iran. Lammy arrived in Geneva on Friday for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'.

Glasgow Times

38 minutes ago

• Glasgow Times

Abusive social media posts directed at MSPs tripled in past year

It comes after the Scottish Parliament employed two members of staff – including a former police inspector – to trawl the social media accounts of 69 MSPs. The pair found 23,507 posts considered abusive between 2024 and 2025. However, the posts did not reach the required level to be considered criminal. Last year, the figure was 8,110. READ NEXT: Tesco tease plans to improve popular superstore In the most recent year, 257 posts were referred to Police Scotland – down from 461 the previous year – with one case proceeding to court. The SNP saw the highest level of abuse, with 15,749 posts directed towards its MSPs. Scottish Labour MSPs were next with 4,150, while the Conservatives were targeted in 1,888 posts. Scottish Green and Liberal Democrat MSPs faced 939 and 729 abusive posts respectively, while 52 messages targeted independent members. Male MSPs received vastly more abuse than their female colleagues, with 19,511 messages compared to 3,996. READ NEXT: American rock band to perform at Glasgow nightclub Lynsey Hamill, Holyrood's director of operations and digital, said: 'Whilst it is too early to draw any firm conclusions on trends and success of the scheme when comparing data from the pilot year and year one, we can see the scale of online abuse of MSPs is now readily apparent and growing. 'This chimes with feedback we have had from members for some time now.' A Scottish Parliament spokesperson added: 'The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is acutely aware of the rising level of threat against elected representatives. 'Last year, the SPCB invested £125,000 to make permanent its online threat managing service. 'Under the service, potentially criminal threats are identified by the Parliament's security team and escalated to Police Scotland for its action.'