Trump Juggled War and Diplomacy Like a Drunk Magician, Iran Paid the Price
KEY POINTS
- â˘In late December, Netanyahu met Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss possible May strikes on Iran's missile programs as protests erupted.
- â˘Despite secret military buildup plans dubbed 'Epic Fury' and 'Roaring Lion,' Trump pursued talks in Geneva with Iranian envoys in February.
- â˘After Iran rejected U.S. demands on nukes, missiles, and proxy funding, Trump ordered simultaneous Saturday air strikes hitting Khamenei's above-ground meetings.
In a chaotic two-month saga worthy of a Netflix dramedy, Trump balanced diplomacy and impending doom like a nervous juggler at Mar-a-Lago. After Netanyahu dropped in December to pitch 'Operation Epic Fury' and plan missile strikes around May, a brutal crackdown in Iran turned the dial to explosion mode. Trump tweeted 'HELP IS ON ITS WAY' while secretly prepping strikes named 'Epic Fury' and 'Roaring Lion'âthink less cute cats, more flying fireballs. Kushner and Witkoff acted as gloomy negotiators in Geneva, reading Iran's seven-page nuclear 'wishlist' that's basically The Onion's worst sci-fi fanfic. Meanwhile, Iran smugly refused to discuss missiles or proxy funding and apparently turned Tehran's reactor into a medical drama without medicines. Spoiler: Saturday's triple strike on Khamenei's above-ground meetings proved once again he underestimated Trump's unpredictabilityâand that bunker real estate remains ironically unbooked.
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Source: Axios | Published: 3/1/2026 | Author: Barak Ravid