Kuala Lampur, April 22 -- The extension of the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is less a sign of peace than it is a strategic pause - one engineered episodically by President Donald Trump to recalibrate leverage rather than relinquish it. 

While the rhetoric from Washington continues to oscillate between coercion and conciliation, the underlying logic remains unmistakably realist: compel Tehran into submission without conceding strategic advantage.

Trump's declaration that the blockade of Iranian ports will persist until Tehran produces a "unified proposal" is revealing. It underscores a negotiation style that thrives on threats and fluid time lines.

By maintaining economic strangulation while dangling the pro...