After threats and deadline cancellations, Trump announced postponement of strikes in hope of reaching an agreement; This will help him strengthen his legitimacy as someone who tried to avoid war at almost any cost while Iran pushed for renewed war Trump prefers a deal to renewed fighting, though not at any price. For that reason, any delay in a strike is now seen by him as a necessary move, even if it projects weakness and confusion to the Iranians.In addition, if Trump fails to reach an agreement with Iran, the repeated delays in resuming fighting increase his legitimacy at home and abroad. In effect, Trump now appears to be the one seeking an agreement and trying to prevent war, while Iran continues pushing toward renewed fire.1 View gallery Agreement or deception? What led Trump to postpone an attack on Iran?(Photos: Hans Rosenkranz, Marinetraffic.com, U.S. Navy, Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP, Eva Marie Uzcategui/Reuters)Some argue that Trump is actually trying to mislead Iran by delaying the strikes, but senior officials believe there is no advantage in that, since Tehran has no ability in any case to prevent an effective strike on any site. The ayatollahs’ regime can respond wildly and cause regional and global economic damage, but it will not be able to stop attacks aimed at it. Therefore, Trump gains nothing by delaying them by a few days.In practice, Tehran is not exactly helping Trump climb down from the tree on this issue — and is almost forcing him to strike. The latest delay Monday night shows that the American president is in a dilemma, perhaps even distress. Given the number of threats he has issued in recent days in posts and tweets, the announcement that he was delaying the strike at the request of Arab leaders shows he is in no rush to attack, and Iran understands that immediately. At the same time, Trump’s conduct may also be worrying, since he could settle for any Iranian concession and present it as a victory ahead of ending the war.In any case, many in Israel still believe the chances of a strike are higher than the chances of successful negotiations. The Iranians are digging in and showing no flexibility in the talks, at least not outwardly, and a few more days will not change that: They are not willing to give up the nuclear program, and Trump cannot settle for less.One Israeli official said that, even now, if Iran again rejects the U.S. president’s proposal, it is far from certain Trump will attack. “With Trump, nothing is certain,” he said.Another Israeli official added: “With Trump, there is no logic, mainly because it is Trump. In Trump’s view, the delay actually projects strength, goodwill and perhaps another attempt to persuade the Iranians.”Israel, meanwhile, is preparing for all possibilities and understands that, in the end, everything is in Trump’s hands. Israel is preparing for a resumption of U.S. fighting and at the same time, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s departure Tuesday evening at the head of a delegation for a diplomatic visit to the Czech Republic may indicate that Israel understands the American strike will not happen immediately.