Like Magritte when he said this is not a pipe and the pipe was there, visible to everyone, the United States Government says that this is not a war while the missiles continue flying in Hormuz. Magritte was right, because his painting was not a pipe but its representation, a drawing. But the missiles in the Middle East are real missiles. What this war is surely not is peace.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, said last night that the war is over. It is not clear at what point since the ceasefire with Iran came into effect a month ago, the two sides accuse each other of not respecting. Then Trump said that if the Iranians did not reopen the strait and shut down their nuclear plan, he would unleash his fury. But none of that has happened. At least, for now.
Neither the Iranian arsenal has disappeared nor has there been a change of regime, only a change of personnel. There continues the bloodthirsty regime of the ayatollahs, now with renewed geopolitical power, controlling a good part of the flow of world oil and with the economy in suspense.
And, according to the White House, Operation Epic Fury has concluded. Move around, nothing to see here. Don’t look at the 25 billion dollars that this war has cost either. This is not a war.
Because Trump has changed his mind again. Again. Goodbye to Monday’s plan to reopen the strait and escort trapped ships. That promise lasted one day. He has barely managed to get two or three merchant ships to cross the strait and the new mission is old. In the absence of a regime change, plans change.
The strategy now is different. For now, a mere rhetorical leap. As if declaring that the war has ended and the objectives have been met would make it a reality. And Magritte already taught us that this is not the case, that words can be dissociated from reality. Only with Trump the surreal is not a painting, but life itself.
Moral?
Trump declares another victory,
to which one more contradictory
