Geopolitical Update May 29, 2026
Geopolitical update - May 29, 2026
If you are like me, you can’t get this whole Iran thing off your mind. I’d like to throw out a couple of things that might help us as we process what is going on and why:
Is President Trump tough? You’d better believe he is! He’s the toughest president of my lifetime. I think he perceived initially with this whole Iran issue that he could intimidate them. When you are dealing with the devil, intimidation tactics do not work because human life is of no consequence and the powers that be in Iran could care less about protecting their own people. They could wait Trump out all day and wouldn’t miss a wink of sleep. The rest of the world, however, is sitting on the edge of their seat and the longer this drags on, the more anxious the world leaders become.
The President is dealing with some huge issues here on the home front; midterm elections, increasing costs of fuel and groceries, and growing weariness on behalf of the American public for another drawn-out war on foreign soil. So, did Tehran think that Trump didn’t have the time to draw this out much longer and that he feared the whole Strait of Hormuz issue and the bottleneck of oil production might upset the balance of power in the world? Probably. This makes sense to me. What did they do? They waited him out. They prolonged every possible deal until they had worn out our administration and the Gulf states. They agreed and reneged on just about everything that has been negotiated in the pipeline thus far. The longer this thing drags on, the less leverage the U.S. has. Iran has counted on that and I sure hope they are wrong.
Once Iran demonstrated that they had no qualms about bombing another Gulf state, the anxiety amongst these nations began to rise. When you have Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE telling you to bring this thing to a conclusion, then the pressure is on to do so. They have more reason to want this thing de-escalated than we do here in the West. Every single one of them just happens to be within firing distance of Iran’s ballistic missiles. Also, between 75-95% of the drinking water supply from the Gulf states comes from water plants along the Persian Gulf coastline. What if Iran targeted these plants? If that happened, then you’d have a whole different kind of problem over there in the Middle East, you’d have a humanitarian one. I really do not think these Gulf states want an emboldened Iran, but they also fear a prolonged regional war. I’m not sure they chose wisely in urging the President to make a deal and get out.
As time has dragged on, the leverage we once had started to narrow. Trump had the pressure of the world’s oil markets slowing down to a near stop, the water situation in the Middle East, the mid-term elections, increasing domestic costs, and strangleholds on major shipping channels in that part of the world. To say that he has had and continues to have the weight of the world on his shoulders is an understatement! Yes, we sank pretty much Iran’s entire Navy. Yes, we have air superiority and sea superiority. But that is not what this is about. This is about the art of the deal and I’m afraid that someone else outwaited and possibly even outsmarted our President. I sure pray this isn’t the case.
Now, we have 50,000 troops deployed to the Middle East and 19 warships (this includes 3 aircraft carriers). Strength is on our side, but time is not.
What about Israel? Where are they in this whole mess? Do they get to have any say-so? They should, but I’m not sure they do. Hamas is still alive and well. The
Yemenis Houthis are still alive and well. This fact alone means that Israel is kind of like a sitting duck and still surrounded by enemies who want them dead and wiped off the face of the earth. Not a happy place to be sitting. My guess is that Netanyahu knew exactly what Iran was doing because he’s had a lot of time to decipher their pattern of operation. He faces some of the same domestic issues in Israel as Trump does here in the U.S. And as smart as some of our negotiators are, they don’t live over there and they do not know the enemy like Israel does. The Prime Minister knows that the longer Iran drags its heels, the more dangerous the situation becomes because extended time=more weapons manufactured and military regrouping to compensate for what has been lost. How many ultimatums have been issued from the White House? I don’t know. I’ve lost count.
7. And hey, in all of this drama, what happened to the whole “Iran will never be allowed to have nuclear weapons”? If they have 60 additional days to once again postpone any decisions on that front, then there is no doubt that they have enough time to build a nuclear warhead. They were just days away from that happening when this war first started. Right now, all of Iran’s enrichment facilities are still operational.
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says that there is still not a “signed” deal. President Trump is indicating that negotiations are ongoing. At this point, I don’t even know what to think.
Friends, we live in an evil world and a world of uncertainty. But here’s one thing I know for sure, God is sovereign and He is still in control. Psalm 115:3 “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases”. Daniel 4:35 “....He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, “What have you done?””.
Our President and his administration need prayer for wisdom. I would love nothing more than a decisive victory for the U.S. and for Israel. A victory for us is really a victory for the whole world. Anything less than victory leaves an already unstable world a whole lot wobblier.
