[Source/Observer Network Chen Sijia] On June 16, US President Trump posted on social media, claiming that "everyone should immediately withdraw from Tehran," which sparked extensive discussions. The international community is concerned that the United States may join Israel in a military operation against Iran. However, a few days later, Trump's stance slightly softened, announcing that he would decide within "two weeks" whether to attack Iran.

The Washington Post disclosed on the 21st that in recent days, many individuals opposing US involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, including Republican donors, conservative media personalities, and government officials, have been persuading Trump. They do not wish for the US to get entangled in overseas conflicts. Trump's braking on military threats may indicate that these persuasion efforts have achieved some results.

The report cited insider information, stating that after Israel launched a large-scale air strike against Iran, a "battle for Trump's ears" erupted in Washington. Trump is listening to suggestions from people with different viewpoints. There are now two distinct voices within Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) camp, one faction supporting a US attack on Iran, while the other firmly opposes involvement in overseas conflicts.

On the 19th local time, Trump had lunch with his former advisor Steve Bannon. Bannon remains one of the key figures in the MAGA movement and strongly opposes US involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict. In his podcast, he compared those supporting a US attack on Iran to "used car salesmen" and repeatedly criticized Fox News for "stirring up war rhetoric."

Not long after Trump met with Bannon, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt read out Trump's latest statement, saying there might be new negotiations with Iran "in the near future," and he would decide within "two weeks" whether to join Israel in attacking Iran.

Insiders said this was unrelated to Bannon's visit to the White House. The statement had already been prepared by the White House before Trump and Bannon had lunch together. However, Bannon has been a major advocate of the "anti-intervention" faction within the MAGA movement, so Trump agreeing to meet him at the White House is noteworthy.

US President Trump Visual China

Two other sources said that Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, visited the White House on the 18th and had a conversation with Trump. Kirk has not publicly acknowledged this meeting yet. Kirk is an influential American conservative commentator who repeatedly emphasizes his belief in Trump's intuition but insists that intervention in the Iran-Israel conflict will lead to a "longer-than-expected war" for the US.

Compared to these MAGA supporters opposing intervention in overseas conflicts, Republican "hawkish" figures advocate further involvement in the conflict, joining Israel in its military actions against Iran. Lindsey Graham, a federal senator from South Carolina, called on Trump to "fully support" Israel in "destroying Iran's nuclear program" during an interview with Fox News.

Ted Cruz, a federal senator from Texas, also claimed that "regime change in Iran" serves US interests.

From Trump's statements over the past week, it seems that he has chosen to "hit the brakes." On June 16, Trump posted on social media, claiming that "everyone should immediately withdraw from Tehran." "Hawkish" figures seized the opportunity to suggest that Trump destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, with some even proposing "overthrowing the Iranian government."

Trump reviewed plans to attack Iran on the 17th but decided to delay approval, "seeing if Iran would compromise." By the 18th, Trump continued holding meetings in the White House Situation Room, claiming he had issued an "ultimatum" to Iran but had not yet decided whether to launch an attack.

On the 19th, the focus of Trump's administration shifted to negotiations. UK Foreign Secretary Lamie met with US Secretary of State Rubio and US Middle East envoy Witkov in Washington to coordinate before European talks with Iran. A French diplomat said that Rubio also spoke with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on the evening of the 19th to discuss the European approach.

On June 20 local time, senior diplomats from Iran, the UK, France, Germany, and the EU held a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, but no breakthroughs were made. The EU demanded Iran limit its nuclear program, while the Iranian delegation stated that negotiations would not take place until Israel ceased its attacks. Both sides agreed to continue contact in the future.

Talking about this meeting, a White House official told The Washington Post, "The president (Trump) supports the efforts of our allies, which may bring Iran closer to reaching the agreement he proposed." Levitt then said that Witkov did not attend the Geneva meeting but remained in communication with Iranian officials.

On the 20th, Trump told the media that he was unsure how long the negotiations would last, "We'll see how long it takes, but I'll give them some time. I think, at most, two weeks." The Washington Post believes that Trump's attitude seems to indicate that he still has an interest in advancing diplomatic processes.

The report pointed out that Trump is caught in a contradiction on the Iran issue: on one hand, he has long advocated preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons; on the other hand, he is trying to avoid war because the MAGA movement he leads generally opposes involvement in overseas conflicts. Now that Trump has extended the deadline and announced a decision within "two weeks," it seems to mean that the persuasion efforts of Bannon, Kirk, and others have achieved some effect.

However, the Financial Times of the UK warned that although Trump has given a two-week window, the US "still has the possibility of taking military action." Some US military experts reminded that Trump's latest statement may be a "smokescreen" to conceal immediate strikes by US forces, aimed at making Iran let down its guard.

Iran, however, insists that it will not negotiate until the conflict stops. On June 20 local time, Iranian President's Office official Magid Farahani told CNN, "If US President Trump orders the Israeli leadership to stop attacking Iran, then diplomacy with Iran can 'easily' resume."

Farahani said, "Trump just needs to make a phone call to Israel to easily stop the war," and reiterated Iran's position that negotiations are impossible during Israeli attacks on Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif also said on the 20th that "there is no room for negotiation with the US unless Israel stops its aggression."

This article is an exclusive contribution by Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7518418610637849123/

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