US President Donald Trump has set deadlines, made demands, and issued threats over the course of the five-week joint US-Israeli war against Iran. But seldom have they been this explicit. The new round of strikes against Iran will be devastating. They will begin at 20:00 Washington DC time on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday). Within four hours, every bridge and power plant in the nation will be decimated. Very little is off-limits, Trump said on Monday.
To avoid this fate, according to the president, Iran has to make a deal that's acceptable to me. A component of the agreement should include free traffic of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. As the final hours tick down, there has been little indication that Iran is ready to agree to Trump's ultimatum. They've rejected a temporary ceasefire and issued their own list of demands, which a US official described as maximalist.
This places the US president in a delicate position. If no agreement is reached, Trump could extend his deadline – for the fourth time in the past three weeks. But backing away after such detailed threats, punctuated with expletives and dire warnings, could undercut his credibility as the war grinds on. It's possible Iran, and the rest of the world, could conclude that despite America's military might and tactical skill, it is not negotiating from a clear position of strength.
We won, Trump insisted during a news conference on Monday afternoon. They are militarily defeated. The only thing they have is the psychology of: 'Oh, we're going to drop a couple of mines in the water'. That psychology – the ability to deter oil tankers from moving through the Strait of Hormuz with drones, missiles, and mines – may be a more potent Iranian asset than the US has been willing to acknowledge.
During Monday's news conference, Trump celebrated US military precision, applauding last year's significant bombing raid on Iran's nuclear sites and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. However, he acknowledged ongoing risks for US forces in Iran, asserting that while the US can inflict severe damage, one terrorist act could close the Strait.
Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No, he stated, admitting that reconstructing what is destroyed would take decades. Even late in the situation, Trump expresses hope for a breakthrough. We have an active, willing participant on the other side, he remarked, suggesting Iran might be negotiating in good faith amidst an increasingly urgent backdrop.
To avoid this fate, according to the president, Iran has to make a deal that's acceptable to me. A component of the agreement should include free traffic of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. As the final hours tick down, there has been little indication that Iran is ready to agree to Trump's ultimatum. They've rejected a temporary ceasefire and issued their own list of demands, which a US official described as maximalist.
This places the US president in a delicate position. If no agreement is reached, Trump could extend his deadline – for the fourth time in the past three weeks. But backing away after such detailed threats, punctuated with expletives and dire warnings, could undercut his credibility as the war grinds on. It's possible Iran, and the rest of the world, could conclude that despite America's military might and tactical skill, it is not negotiating from a clear position of strength.
We won, Trump insisted during a news conference on Monday afternoon. They are militarily defeated. The only thing they have is the psychology of: 'Oh, we're going to drop a couple of mines in the water'. That psychology – the ability to deter oil tankers from moving through the Strait of Hormuz with drones, missiles, and mines – may be a more potent Iranian asset than the US has been willing to acknowledge.
During Monday's news conference, Trump celebrated US military precision, applauding last year's significant bombing raid on Iran's nuclear sites and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. However, he acknowledged ongoing risks for US forces in Iran, asserting that while the US can inflict severe damage, one terrorist act could close the Strait.
Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No, he stated, admitting that reconstructing what is destroyed would take decades. Even late in the situation, Trump expresses hope for a breakthrough. We have an active, willing participant on the other side, he remarked, suggesting Iran might be negotiating in good faith amidst an increasingly urgent backdrop.
