Barry O’Halloran: Donald Trump knows instinctively that taking on the Mullahs is a dangerous move

One last attempt at negotiation may be a wiser move than getting involved in a toxic, unwinnable war

Donald Trump has decided to give peace a chance. Photo: Reuters

Barry O'Halloran

Though an accomplished composer of nasty nicknames for others, Donald Trump did not take kindly to discovering recently that he had a new nickname himself, Taco — an acronym that stands for “Trump always chickens out”.

In the light of his recent flip-flopping over tariffs and immigration policy, along with his seemingly inexhaustible tolerance for Vladimir Putin’s repeated failures to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine, there is more than a modicum of evidence for Trump’s new moniker — which is why it rankles so much with him.