As the world awaits US President Donald Trump’s primetime address, attention is focused on what the White House has described as a “big update” on Iran – and whether it signals escalation, de-escalation, or something in between.
The speech comes at a critical moment in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with military pressure mounting and diplomatic signals remaining mixed. While officials have offered few specifics ahead of the address, American analyst Paul Goble shared his expectations in comments to Kyiv Post.
Goble said he expects Trump to frame the address as a declaration of success.
“I expect him to declare victory, to say, ‘We’ve done our job,’ and that others who need to get other things done need to start stepping up to the plate,” Goble said.
He added that Trump may try to present the outcome as a direct benefit to Americans at home.
“I think he will suggest that, now that he has won this victory for the Americans in Iran, gas prices will decline and the world will go on,” he said.
Goble also did not rule out the possibility that Trump may use the moment to widen the scope of his remarks beyond Iran.
“I would not be surprised if he added some other things, possibly about the future of NATO and about American relations with its allies, or even announced the launch of some new American move against Greenland or Cuba,” he said.
On the day of the address, the administration also sharpened its criticism of NATO, adding to concerns that Trump could revisit longstanding grievances with US allies.
Asked whether he was surprised by Trump’s hints about a possible break with the alliance, Goble said he was not.
“Regrettably, I’m not,” he said. “It would be a tragedy of the first order, because NATO is the single most important integument linking the United States and Europe. And if it is destroyed, the Russian Federation and Mr. Putin will find it far easier to go after this or that individual rather than facing a united West.”
Goble said Trump has long signaled his dissatisfaction with the alliance.
“So I think this is the kind of thing that Trump has hinted at, and now he’s being more explicit,” he said. “Clearly, he’s angry. Clearly, he wants to weaken Europe, and he wants to have some grand deal with Moscow which may provide new opportunities for investment in the Russian Federation.”
The address is now expected to be closely watched not only for any shift in Washington’s Iran policy, but also for what it may reveal about the broader direction of US strategy toward its allies and adversaries alike.