Trump keeps world waiting on his plans for Iran after State of the Union

In a world on edge waiting to see what US President Donald Trump does next in the Middle East, he provided no clear signal when he presented the longest ever State of the Union address.The world’s most powerful commander-in-chief decided not to make his comprehensive case for possible military action against Iran during the biggest build-up of American might in the Middle East since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.Two decades ago, President George W Bush had travelled across America, and beyond, to lay the groundwork for what turned into a major military intervention, albeit one based on faulty intelligence.Trump may have decided it was not an issue to broach when his political base, who elected him to stay out of forever wars, is far more focused on the state of the economy and the fight on immigration just months before crucial midterm polls.Or it may reflect his repeated claim that he has yet to make up his own mind about which path to pursue. He continues to say he prefers to do a deal rather than unleash a deadly war.The next crucial round of negotiations – the third this month – in Geneva on Thursday is expected to be pivotal to his decision-making.”If President Trump does not receive, through his envoys, an acceptable text from Tehran, he’s likely to order some form of military action soon after,” assessed a diplomat who’s been briefed on this process.