US President Donald Trump has appeared to back away from plunging the US into the Israel-Iran war. After days of ratcheting up the tensions in the region through opaque statements hinting that the US was going to enter the fray, Mr Trump released a statement on 19 June that “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next 2 weeks.”

Many in the region and in the US let out a collective sigh of relief, although a swift policy reversal can never be discounted with the mercurial president. (CONTINUED - 645 WORDS)

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