Midterm break

AMERICAN President Donald Trump’s statement that he will not launch a fresh attack on Iran before the US midterm elections does little to calm fears of renewed war in the Gulf. In effect, the US president has only promised to postpone the attack, when he should have committed to indefinitely suspending hostilities in favour of dialogue. Clearly, it is a calculated political move: the Iran war is unpopular with the American people, mainly because of the inflation and high petroleum prices it has caused. Mr Trump may be holding off on a new assault to prevent a complete drubbing of the…