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Trump surprises everyone, doesn’t break Middle East

The attitude of both the president and Iran after overnight missiles were directed at a US military base in Qatar, showed both sides were looking for an off-ramp.

Andrew Tillett
Andrew TillettForeign affairs, defence correspondent
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Donald Trump has seemingly managed to walk out of the Middle Eastern Pottery Barn without breaking anything.

It was former US secretary of state Colin Powell who evoked the retailer’s supposed warning of “you break it, you own it” to unsuccessfully persuade George W. Bush against the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

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Andrew Tillett writes on politics, foreign affairs, defence and security from the Canberra press gallery. Connect with Andrew on Facebook and Twitter. Email Andrew at andrew.tillett@afr.com
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    Original URL: https://www.afr.com/world/middle-east/trump-surprises-everyone-doesn-t-break-middle-east-20250624-p5m9rg