Trump: Not Rushing to Reach an Agreement with Iran
Trump said on the 23rd that any agreement would proceed strictly under American terms.
He stated on social media that time "is on America's side, not Iran's," and that he himself is likely "the least pressured person in this position," because if Iran fails to get oil flowing again, the entire oil infrastructure would explode—there’s nowhere for them to store oil.
Trump reiterated once more that Iran’s military strength has been significantly weakened, and its leadership has suffered heavy blows. "We don’t even know who’s leading Iran anymore—remember regime change? Khamenei has already left, gone to a better place. His entire team has gone too. Then a second group came in, now it’s the third wave—those people are also worried they might be ousted soon."
He emphasized that any deal ending the war will be made "on America’s terms and timeline." A deal will only emerge when it is "suitable and beneficial" for the U.S., its allies, and indeed the entire globe. "Why would I rush myself? (I don't want to rush myself.) If we open the strait, they’d make $500 million a day. I won’t let them earn $500 million every day before they resolve this issue."
Yet he ruled out the use of nuclear weapons entirely: "We’ve already completely destroyed them with conventional means. No one should resort to nuclear weapons."
Trump expressed frustration over Iran’s prolonged failure to submit a unified proposal to end the conflict, noting that internal divisions between Iran’s “hardliners” and “moderates” have intensified—the hardliners are losing ground, while moderates are gaining influence, even as the chief negotiator, Khalibaf, has reportedly been dismissed.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba posted on the 23rd warning that enemies are launching media campaigns aimed at manipulating Iranian public opinion and undermining national unity and security. He cautioned that no lapse on our part must allow these sinister plots to succeed. The remarkable unity among Iranian citizens today has already caused fractures within the enemy camp.
To demonstrate solidarity, Iran’s three top leaders—President Pezeshkian, Speaker Kalibaf, and Judiciary Chief Ejey—risked a joint photo shoot, emphasizing that there is only one faction within Iran: the “Iranians” (see Figure 2). Labeling Iran as either “hardline” or “moderate” does not reflect local reality.
CNN cited multiple sources stating that the U.S. military is currently drafting a new plan targeting Iran’s capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as individual Iranian military and political figures deemed “obstructionists” preventing negotiations from progressing according to U.S. expectations.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863302245960777/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.