Shortly after Israel - in breach of a shaky but still holding ceasefire agreement - attacked Lebanon in the early hours of yesterday morning NZT, Iran retaliated by launching a salvo of missiles at Israel.
Certainly Mr Trump is hoping for the latter, telling Israel and Iran that they had had their ‘‘fun’’ and it was time to return to the negotiating table. In this the president is eminently correct, but it does skirt past the fact that this whole mess was rather of his own making in the first place.
Mr Trump’s grandiose claims back in late February that the US and Israel had eliminated most of Iran’s political leadership and military capacity sounded like posturing then and have rung increasingly hollow ever since.
The Iranian regime shows little sign of toppling and its army’s latest retaliation, though ineffectual, shows its fangs have not entirely been pulled.
Arguably, it even has the stronger hand of cards to play when and if negotiations resume. It still has command of the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the oil which powers the world economy, is shipped, and the bargaining power that gives Iran continues to call into question the wisdom of the entire US-Israeli undertaking.
Although the latest missile salvos were fired after the two men met, there is no doubt that the ongoing Gulf conflict was one of, if not the, main topic of discussion over the weekend when New Zealand and Australia’s prime ministers met for their annual summit.
A considerable portion of the joint statement issued by Christopher Luxon and Anthony Albanese after the meeting was devoted to security - both economic and strategic.
In announcing that the two countries wished to strengthen economic security, particular mention was made of supply chains. Both leaders have made a point in recent weeks of visiting countries where fuel supplies for the Pacific region are refined and making sure that existing arrangements survive the current crisis.
New Zealand has, additionally, temporarily accepted Australian fuel standards rather than insisting on its own higher bar, to ensure fuel continues to flow to this part of the world.
Over the weekend the prime ministers committed to deepen transtasman collaboration on supply measures, demand management and crisis planning.
‘‘They reaffirmed their commitment to the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organisation at its core, and acknowledged that respect for trade commitments, including international trade standards and norms, underpins our prosperity and resilience, and that of our region,’’ they said.
They also pledged to stand up for Pacific countries and help to secure energy supply for the island nations. With the next Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting scheduled for the end of this month countries whose tourism industry in particular rely on petrol and diesel will be desperate to see actions to match those words.
Messrs Luxon and Albanese also reiterated their support for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East, and the need for an enduring agreement that restores freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and provides assurance that Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.
Their voices will unlikely be loud enough to be heard in the specific corridors of power that matter in this instance, but it was interesting that even though Mr Luxon in particular has commented extensively in recent weeks about the strain that the international rules based order is under, that both countries emphasised the importance of international standards and norms.
Even if the world is indeed changing, enduring relationships and agreements - such as the many between Australia and New Zealand - are critical for the smaller partner and important too for the larger.
There is a reason why the Closer Economic Relations agreement has endured, with no sign of weakening. As Mr Luxon said, Australia and New Zealand work best when we work together.
