The United States and Iran are not closing negotiating channels. But their positions remain distant, seemingly divergent, with a flurry of statements and threats that once again leave the final outcome unpredictable. And they continue not to rule out the possibility of new winds of war.
The United States, which received a new 14-point proposal from the country of the ayatollahs in the past few hours, has sent its response, Tehran said, announcing that it is "under consideration." But Donald Trump's words do not point to any major changes: "An unacceptable proposal," thundered the commander-in-chief, who today reiterated his refusal to rule out an attack, calling it "possible."
A heated exchange, in a dynamic that has now turned into a tug-of-war with the Iranians, who have counterattacked, at least dialectically: "Trump must choose between an impossible operation and a bad deal with the Islamic Republic," they said defiantly.
The announcement by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei came at the end of another day of tension and threats: "The American response has arrived, we are examining it," he announced, referring to Iran's new 14-point offer, which—Baghaei clarified—excludes commitments on the nuclear issue. "Our plan is focused exclusively on ending the war" and does not even include "demining" the Strait of Hormuz .
And, according to Axios, he proposed a month's timeframe for an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the American blockade, and end hostilities in Iran and Lebanon . Among Tehran's demands, the Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported, were guarantees that there would be no further attacks, the withdrawal of American forces from Iran's neighboring countries, the lifting of sanctions and compensation, and the release of frozen funds .
"I've studied it, and it's unacceptable to me," Trump thundered, commenting on the Iranian plan and calling a new attack a "possibility." The acceleration of American arms sales to allies in the Middle East and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's convening of the Security Cabinet in anticipation of a possible breakdown of the truce in Iran and Gaza seem to indicate that the military option remains the main option.
There is currently no indication of the content of the possible American counter-proposal sent to the Iranians, through Pakistan, which continues to attempt to mediate. While eager to conclude the war quickly, the commander-in-chief wants to address and resolve the nuclear issue immediately, thus putting the matter to rest once and for all with his "incursion" into Iran.
A possible resumption of fighting presents many risks for Trump, especially political ones. But the tycoon seems intent on leaving no stone unturned: Iran "has not yet paid a high enough price for what it has done over the last 47 years," he thundered from Florida , where he spent the weekend dining, golfing, and keeping up to date on the situation in the Middle East.
(Unioneonline)
