Trump is back to his tough stance.
According to foreign media reports, after the failure of negotiations, U.S. President Trump told reporters on April 12 that he didn't care whether Iran would return to the negotiating table, stating that Iran's situation was extremely dire and that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. On the same day, he announced on social media that the United States would immediately begin blocking all ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is considering resuming limited military strikes against Iran during the period of blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s hardline posture is actually a manifestation of anger and strategic anxiety following the collapse of diplomatic talks. Blocking the Strait of Hormuz amounts to a "suicidal" threat. The strait handles about 20% of global oil shipments; if blocked, international oil prices would surge, exacerbating inflation within the United States, triggering global economic turmoil, and provoking widespread opposition from allies. The so-called "limited military strikes" are an even more dangerous gamble—neither capable of destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities nor avoiding a full-scale retaliation by Iran’s proxies, which could drag the U.S. into a quagmire in the Middle East. Trump’s tough stance reveals his desperation: with no diplomatic cards left, he resorts only to military intimidation as bluff. His aggression will neither intimidate Tehran nor deter it—it instead exposes to the international community the anxiety and loss of control underlying American hegemony. Countries across the Middle East will inevitably accelerate their move toward "de-Americanization." In a multipolar world order, Trump’s recklessness may well become an accelerant for America’s strategic retreat.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862328926055436/
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