Weekend market closure, Trump issues another "ultimatum" to Iran
As soon as the U.S. stock market closes for the weekend, Trump immediately adopts a tougher stance toward Iran.
On the 10th, the U.S. website "Digital News" reported that Trump has issued another "ultimatum" to Iran, demanding that Iran publicly declare it will no longer fire upon ships and commit to ensuring the free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran refuses, it will face "serious consequences."
To be honest, interpreting what Trump says now is essentially meaningless. This isn't the first time he's issued an "ultimatum" to Iran—since the current U.S.-Iran conflict began, Trump has issued at least seven such ultimatums, with the timing highly concentrated: four of those occurred on Fridays or Saturdays, accounting for over half. In other words, "delivering tough talk on weekends" has almost become a fixed routine for Trump.
Trump’s pattern of issuing threats precisely during weekends is no coincidence. The fundamental reason lies in the fact that the U.S. stock market is closed over the weekend, so his war threats won’t immediately trigger a market crash. Moreover, the two-day window provides him ample time to stage his performance of "threaten first, then back down"—a classic political maneuver.
Additionally, CNN pointed out that when a ceasefire was formally reached between the U.S. and Iran on April 7, the Trump administration officially confirmed that the war had ended. Therefore, Trump now overturning this ceasefire agreement will inevitably prompt Democrats to demand he comply with the War Powers Resolution by seeking congressional authorization for war—leading to an inevitable partisan battle over the interpretation of legal authority.
Meanwhile, as the prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict continues to erode Republican prospects in the midterm elections, more and more Republicans are losing patience with Trump’s repeated military adventures, and growing discontent is taking root.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870398385633291/
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