Donald Trump is stalling for time on a possible attack on Iran and seems to be opening the door to new negotiations with Tehran. The commander-in-chief has reportedly postponed the decision to give the green light to a military intervention for the time being, reserving the right to make a decision within 15 days, in the belief that the diplomatic route is not only still viable but also the only one to avoid dragging America into yet another conflict with an uncertain outcome.
"Donald Trump will decide whether or not to attack Iran in the next two weeks," said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, denying rumors that the United States was about to launch an attack in the next 24-48 hours. But she also warned that Tehran would only need two weeks to produce an atomic bomb. A few hours earlier, the president himself had rejected claims in an article in the Wall Street Journal, according to which the president had already approved plans for a military intervention. "He knows nothing about my ideas about Iran."
Since returning early from the G7 summit, The Donald has spent his days locked in the Situation Room with his most loyal supporters. And evidently, after careful consideration with the most important members of his government, the intelligence and military leaders, he has decided to give negotiations another chance. For the president, the possibility of an agreement with Tehran is "still substantial," the spokeswoman stressed, confirming that in fact contacts between Washington and Iran have not stopped even after the start of Israel's attacks, and that the special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff has spoken several times on the phone with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi.
"Trump has incredible instincts and has kept America safe in his first term. No one should be surprised by his position on Iran," the official added, reiterating that the president's "priority" is not to give Iran a nuclear weapon. The White House says it would only take Tehran two weeks to manufacture it: "They have everything they need to produce it, all it takes is a decision from the supreme leader and it will take a couple of weeks to complete the manufacturing of that weapon."
This is why Washington has also warned that the president is a "peacemaker" but at the same time is not "afraid to use force". Another sign that the American attack should not be imminent is the confirmation of the tycoon's presence at the NATO summit in The Hague next week. "He will leave on Monday", said the spokeswoman. Among the various unknowns that loom, the one the president wants to be certain about, before making a decision, is that a military intervention will achieve the objective of destroying the Iranian nuclear plant in Fordow without dragging the United States into a prolonged war in the Middle East. According to experts, a single super bomb would not be enough, and this is what worries Trump the most. Before the president partially backtracked from the past few days and extended his hand to return to the negotiating table, Tehran had raised the level of the conflict by threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz in the event of an escalation of the war.
"The possible closure of the Strait is one of the options currently on the table," a member of the Iranian parliament said, quoted by Tass, warning "the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran that if they threaten our homeland and our people, they will certainly suffer a devastating response. Decisions on retaliation will be taken on a case-by-case basis." The blockade of the stretch of water would have devastating consequences worldwide. At the mere threat of closure, natural gas on the Amsterdam TFT exchange exceeded $41, while Brent approached $78.
(Online Union)