ANDREW GREENE: Iran peace deal far from ‘unconditional surrender!’ of Donald Trump’s dreams

Almost four months after launching his war against Iran, Donald Trump is heralding a peace deal to bring the costly and deeply unpopular conflict to an end.

Washington’s military operation alongside Israel has already cost billions of dollars, thousands of lives and harmed America’s global standing.

Ahead of the crucial US midterm elections in November, it’s also significantly hit the President’s standing with voters who are frustrated at higher living costs resulting from the global energy crisis that’s unfolded from the Middle East turmoil.

Just in time for his 80th birthday, and a much-hyped UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza at the White House, President Trump is keen to stress the Strait of Hormuz will soon open.

“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” he wrote on social media.

“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”

Both sides in the war have reportedly agreed to a 60-day extension to the current ceasefire, the reopening of the strait and the end of a US blockade that has stopped Iran from selling its oil.

The Financial Times reports Iran has reaffirmed it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, and both sides have agreed to resolve the disposal of Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium under an agreed mechanism.

It’s a very different tone from what President Trump struck back in March when he declared there would be no deal with Tehran except “unconditional surrender!”

The President, who has long campaigned for his own Nobel Peace prize, has been forced to negotiate an outcome that he would not have envisaged back at the start of the conflict.

“It’s a very weak deal for the US considering what the stated objectives were at the beginning,” says former senior Washington official Dan Shapiro.

“It largely attempts to reopen the strait, which had definitely become the most important issue. But that just demonstrates how much leverage Iran had to persuade Trump that it was better to end this war even on weak terms than to continue it.”

The first strike of the war killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and now his son and successor Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei must approve any peace deal before it’s signed.

Back in Australia frustration with Trump’s war has also been growing, not just among motorists but also inside the Albanese Government.

Over recent weeks the Prime Minister and senior colleagues have barely hidden their contempt for the President’s actions, which they blame in part for growing discontent against the Government as prices and interest rates climb.

On Monday, Anthony Albanese welcomed President Trump’s announcement that America had struck a peace deal with Iran but said Australia would progress with caution.

“There won’t be deals signed until Friday, so we’ll continue to monitor these issues,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

Mr Albanese also has the difficult decision to make on whether to extend the expensive cut to the fuel excise beyond June 30 to help with the price pain being experienced at the bowser.

He’s warning that the flow on effects from the Iran war will continue for some time after a peace deal is locked in, because of the nature of international supply routes.

“We need to remove the sea mines, which have been planted there. We need to make sure, as well, that the ships… are able to deliver their cargoes,” he said.

“That could be 30 days to their destination, then an unloading, then travelling back before any new supplies or fuel is able to be loaded onto those ships.

“So, whilst we want to see the conflict end, and we hope that that has occurred, we also want to be very conscious of the fact that that doesn’t mean that everything returns to normal in just a day or indeed a week or even a month.

“It will be at a minimum many months before things return to normal.”

The war against Iran has again also exposed how poorly placed Australia’s military currently appears to be to respond to such crises.

Defence experts say the Royal Australian Navy does not boast enough suitably equipped warships to deploy into an environment such as the Middle East where it would face frequent missile and drone attacks.

In Australia the only political figure to openly back President Trump’s unpopular war has been the increasingly powerful One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

“Yes, I support what he’s done because you got to deal with the evil that was happening because the last thing that we need is for them to have nuclear weapons and that type of thing,” Senator Hanson said last month when questioned about the US President’s actions.

Despite the deep unpopularity of the US and Israeli strikes against Iran, Senator Hanson’s own standing continues to grow, and according to at least one major opinion poll she is now Australia’s preferred prime minister.