US president and his aides reportedly conclude op to reopen waterway would take too long; Iran’s decision-making said impeded due to killing of leadership, complicating talks.
US President Donald Trump reportedly told aides he is willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed and leave a complex operation to reopen it for a later date. Trump and his aides had come to the conclusion that a mission to reopen the waterway would extend the length of the mission past his four- to six-week timeline, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing administration officials. It added that he had decided to focus on battering Iran’s missiles and navy, before looking to pressure Iran diplomatically to reopen the Strait.
Tehran has largely blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz oil route in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, pushing up global energy prices. The US national average retail price of gasoline crossed $4 a gallon for the first time in more than three years on Monday, data from price-tracking service GasBuddy shows, as the US-Israeli war with Iran rages on.
Trump on Monday touted “great progress” in negotiations for a deal to end the war, but warned that if a deal isn’t reached and the Strait of Hormuz isn’t “immediately ‘Open for Business,’” then the US would move ahead with “blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched.’” Despite Trump’s insistence that a deal would likely be reached, the US has been deploying thousands of troops to the region over the past week in preparation for a potential ground operation.
Reports have suggested that the preparations for a ground operation may be an attempt to pressure Tehran into acquiescing to American terms to end the war. Further complicating efforts to end the war, he New York Times reportedon Monday that the US-Israeli decapitation of Iran’s leadership since the outbreak of the war has hampered Tehran’s ability to make decisions. (Read More)
