Trump prepares to declare Iran war victory if Hormuz reopens, willing to walk away without nuclear deal: Report
US President Donald Trump has been laying the groundwork for declaring victory in the Iran war if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, while
US President Donald Trump has been laying the groundwork for declaring victory in the Iran war if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, while privately signalling to senior aides that he could walk away from the conflict without securing a nuclear deal, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to US officials cited by the newspaper, Trump's focus in recent weeks has shifted from securing a comprehensive agreement over Iran's nuclear programme to ensuring that traffic through the strategic waterway resumes. If the strait is fully reopened and Iran's nuclear capabilities remain contained, Trump could potentially extend the existing ceasefire indefinitely, the officials said. The shift would represent a major scaling back of the administration's original objective. The White House had maintained that Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, while Trump had sought to incorporate nuclear negotiations into broader talks with Tehran. However, those discussions have proved difficult, prompting Washington to concentrate increasingly on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to WSJ. Iran raises the price for reopening Hormuz Trump's potential exit strategy has become more complicated after Iran put forward tough conditions for restoring unrestricted traffic through the waterway.
Iran has demanded billions of dollars in US payments, the withdrawal of American troops from the region and an end to the US naval blockade, among other concessions, according to the report. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme Security Council, said the US would have to permanently end the war, lift its naval blockade, withdraw its forces, end sanctions, release Iran's frozen assets, pay war reparations, end threats and insults and halt military action against Iran's regional militia allies before Tehran would reopen the strait, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA. Tehran has also insisted that American warships should not be permitted to pass through the waterway and has sought revenue from commercial vessels. Washington has rejected both demands, US officials told WSJ. Also Read | UAE says Iran attacked its vessel in Strait of Hormuz; no casualties reported Why Hormuz matters to Trump The Strait of Hormuz has become one of Iran's strongest sources of leverage since the conflict began in February. Iran's ability to disrupt shipping through missile and drone attacks has slowed commercial traffic and contributed to volatility in global oil markets. Trump has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that the waterway was already fully open, but those declarations proved premature.
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