The war with Iran is "almost over" and an agreement by the end of the month is "possible" : these are the words of Donald Trump who, while once again showing optimism about the outcome of the negotiations with Tehran in view of the truce's expiration on April 21, does not appear to want to give up.
The president has in fact decided to send an additional 10,000 troops to the area , a move to further increase pressure on the Islamic Republic and push it toward a swift agreement. But something also seems to be moving in Tehran: Iranian sources told Reuters that Iran is proposing, as part of ongoing talks, to allow ships to pass freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack.
Contacts between Washington and Tehran through mediators are currently continuing intensely, although the White House has denied that it is working on a two-week extension of the ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance. A new round of talks could take place next week. Details are still being finalized: neither a date nor a location have been chosen. It's possible that Islamabad will again host the negotiations, but not before April 18. Until then, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey for an "exchange of views" on the situation.
The issues to be resolved, however, remain the same: the Iranian nuclear program and navigation in the Strait of Hormuz . The heated negotiations of recent days give rise to hope, at least for a rapprochement of positions.
"Iran does not seek war or instability" and supports constructive dialogue with the United States, but it will not allow itself to be "forced into submission," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian clarified. "I believe they want to reach an agreement at all costs," Trump insisted, returning to talk of Iran being annihilated by American forces. "We beat them badly," and "if we left now, they would need 20 years to rebuild," the American president added.
Trump appears to want to end the conflict with Iran quickly: between plummeting polls, growing Republican woes, and criticism from part of his own base , the commander-in-chief knows he's exposed himself to many risks and that the time has come to turn the page. The risk is that his party, too, could definitively rebel against the war. The law requires a president to obtain Congressional approval if a military operation lasts more than 60 days, and many conservatives have already said the tycoon will have to respect it. The deadline is at the end of the month. It's not out of the question, however, that Trump may want to close the Iran dossier to focus on another of his priorities: Cuba. The Pentagon is reportedly already developing military plans for the island so as to be ready if the commander-in-chief decides to proceed.
(Unioneonline)
