The imminence of the agreement with Iran, which Donald Trump declared practically done last Saturday, has been fading due to his excessive haste in the face of the economic punishment the United States suffers because of a war he declared. Furthermore, the president is being criticized by Republican officials for accepting a pact they dislike given the survival of the ayatollahs’ regime.
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The U.S. leader, in his remarks this Wednesday during a meeting of his cabinet at the White House, gave few clues about the agreement under discussion, although he assured that Iran was “very determined” to reach an agreement. “So far we are not satisfied with it, but we will be,” he stated. The Strait of Hormuz emerges as a key point of disagreement.
And in his usual manner, he added his typical threat. “Maybe we will have to go back and finish it, maybe not,” referring to bombings. Last Monday there was already an attack on Iranian missile sites and vessels that endangered the ceasefire in place for six weeks.
Trump maintained that the midterm elections, in which conservatives fear a debacle due to popular disapproval of this war in the United States, will have no impact on negotiations with Iran.
Although he expressed his belief that Iranian officials were trying to pressure the U.S. by prolonging negotiations while Republicans are being politically harmed by the negative economic impact of the conflict, Trump replied that “they (the Iranians) thought they were going to make me wait longer than them” and added: “I don’t care about the midterm elections.”
But Trump insisted that the talks are going “very well.” “I think they are starting to give us the things they have to give us,” he said. “And if they do, great, and if they don’t, then the man to my left will have to finish them off,” he warned, pointing to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The military chief emphasized in his turn that “the Pentagon has everything ready if the job needs to be finished.”
“We are not talking about easing sanctions or giving money. Neither sanctions, nor money, nor anything. We have control over money that they claim belongs to them. We will keep control of that money. When they behave properly and do the right thing. We will allow them to have their money, but right now we are not doing that,” he said.
The president also spoke bluntly about the negotiations around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route for oil and gas that Iran effectively closed after the conflict was launched on February 28 by the U.S. and Israel. “The strait will be open to everyone as international waters and not under Iranian control. No one will control it, we will monitor it, this is part of the discussions,” he emphasized.
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In this way, he dismissed a draft circulated by Iranian television, scorned by the White House as “a total invention,” which explained that U.S. forces would withdraw from the area and lift the blockade of Iranian ports in exchange for the Islamic republic reopening the strait, although Iran and Oman themselves would handle the management.
“It is a memorandum of understanding to speed things up; one of the things that will happen is that Hormuz will open immediately, but it will be perfect. I didn’t do all this to get a mediocre agreement,” he added. The key issue, he stressed, is that Iran does not gain access to the nuclear weapon, which according to his view and if it weren’t for him, they would already have and “would have used it,” destroying the entire region.
From there comes another condition, this one for the allies in the area. “The Middle East would have exploded on its own. We would like the countries we were talking about (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and others) to immediately join the Abraham Accords,” with which his administration tries to normalize the relationship of those countries with Israel.
“It would be historic if they did, and honestly, I think they owe it to us. I really think it would be a tremendous signal, and I think those countries should do it. I’m not sure we should make the agreement (with Iran) if they don’t sign.” He emphasized.
He also ruled out the idea of allowing Russia or China to take control of Iran’s nuclear reserves. “No, that would not make me feel comfortable,” he replied.
In his remarks, Marco Rubio reiterated the president’s idea that Iran cannot access the nuclear weapon and offered some details of the negotiation. “I think there have been some advances and some interest, and we will see in the coming hours and days if more progress can be made,” the secretary of state interjected. “We have other options available if that doesn’t work,” he warned.
Trump also suggested that Iran was “negotiating with what little they have,” because “their navy no longer exists, their air force no longer exists, everything has disappeared” and “their economy is in free fall.” However, U.S. intelligence assessments show that Iran has operational access to numerous missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that the country’s armed forces remain much stronger than the president proclaims.
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