President Donald Trump’s allies stress that the pain is temporary but that for many Americans, rising fuel costs are a significant factor in daily life.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump thinks he is Effective dealmaker above all elseBut he appears to have hit a brick wall with Iran, as his tough rhetoric, threats and even military action have failed to persuade Tehran to abandon its long-established stance.
and change goals That makes it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. effort, with Trump and his top aides insisting the U.S. has won the war and that Iran is ready to strike a deal when it ends U.S. threat escalates period A fragile ceasefire.
but Trump makes concessions againOn Monday, he said he had shelved plans to resume attacks at the request of Gulf Arab states because “serious negotiations are underway and, in their view, as great leaders and allies, an agreement will be reached that will be acceptable to the United States of America and to all countries in the Middle East and beyond.”
Although Trump said he had called off an attack planned for Tuesday, he still called his bluff, saying he told military leaders “to be ready to launch a full, massive attack on Iran immediately if an acceptable deal is not reached.” Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and Iran then backed down.
Despite growing civil unrest, a paralyzed economy and the deaths of many leaders, No evidence Iran will meet Trump’s demands — many of which have long been rejected. In fact, it’s deeply ingrained. That leaves Trump’s stated primary goal unachieved: Iran has not yet agreed to give up its nuclear program or its ballistic missile development, or cease support for its proxies in the region, including those in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.
The White House defended the president’s approach on Monday, saying “Trump’s preference has always been peace and diplomacy” but that he would only accept a deal that puts America first. “President Trump holds all the cards and wisely keeps all options open to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon,” spokesperson Olivia Welsh said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Iran has influence in the Strait of Hormuz
Crucially, despite a U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports, Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil supplies. this Dramatic changes in global energy markets Next there are Gas prices risehurting American consumers and causing potential problems for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of November’s congressional midterm elections.
Trump’s strategy of applying economic and military pressure to force foreign governments to submit to him has not played out in Iran as it has in Venezuela, Cuba and elsewhere. Oil blockade squeezes both countries Trump administration soon Venezuelan leader Nicolás MaduroBut the leverage they have is not as effective as Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz.
As Iran war raises costs for Americans, Trump’s support for economy plummetsEven Republicans show less trust in his leadership, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll last month.
For all Trump’s rhetoric, Iran has been unwilling to accept any limits on its policies beyond what it acknowledged when negotiating a nuclear deal with world powers during the Obama administration. Trump called it the “worst” deal ever negotiated by the United States and withdrew from it during his first term in 2018.
Trump has blasted the slow progress in talks to reach a permanent deal since a fragile war truce took effect last month.
“The clock is ticking for Iran and they better move fast or they will have nothing left,” Trump said in a social media post on Sunday shortly after a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iran’s response was swift. “The finger of our armed forces is on the trigger and diplomacy continues,” Mohsen Rezai, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on state television.
Experts say neither side sees failure
Ali Vaez, Iran director of the International Crisis Group, who has witnessed years of fruitless diplomacy between Washington and Tehran, said the two long-time rivals do not see themselves defeated by the latest conflict.
“Since the ceasefire came into effect, both Washington and Tehran appear to be assuming that time is working in their favor: Both sides believe that the blockade and counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz increases the costs for the other side while providing breathing space for a possible resumption of hostilities,” Vaez said.
He said that despite the impact of the U.S. economic pressure campaign, Iranian officials have not yet reached the painful threshold of “accepting what it sees as demands for surrender.”
David Schenker, a former assistant secretary of state for the Middle East in Trump’s first administration who now works at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, described the current situation as a “stalemate.”
He said Trump may have “misgivings” about returning to a full-scale military conflict, especially because of Gulf Arab anxiety over Iranian retaliation and energy market volatility, as well as the political implications for the United States.
Rich Goldberg, an Iran hawk and former National Security Council official in both Trump administrations who now works at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, insists Trump remains in a strong position, including on the Strait of Hormuz.
Goldberg, who has a particular interest in U.S. energy dominance, said that while reopening the strait would ease the “pain of refueling” felt by many Americans, it doesn’t matter.
“The short-term pain in oil prices is distracting from the overall U.S. energy dominance,” he said. “This is not a permanent crisis.”
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