Trump aims to seal Iran deal soon — Reuters
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump is seriously intent on reaching an agreement with Iran in the coming days, which should result in an end to hostilities in the Middle East, according to Reuters.
According to three senior Israeli officials, Trump wants to stop the fighting in the Middle East, as the conflict could drag on.
At the same time, the officials, who wished to remain anonymous, said they consider it unlikely that Iran will agree to US demands in any new round of negotiations. These US demands will likely include restrictions on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that, in Trump’s view, there is a possibility of "leveraging the mighty achievements obtained by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the U.S. military, in order to realize the goals of the war in a deal - a deal that will preserve our vital interests".
Background
On March 22, the US President issued an ultimatum to Iran, demanding that it open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. According to him, if the demand was not met within 48 hours, US forces would begin bombing Iranian power plants.
In response, Iran warned that if its fuel and energy complex were struck, it would retaliate by targeting US energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure in the region.
Yesterday, Trump announced that he had ordered the US military to suspend strikes on targets in Iran. Following this statement, Brent crude oil prices fell sharply, while US stock futures rose by more than 2%.
Trump later said that Washington and Tehran are negotiating an end to the war and have already reached important points of agreement.
Iranian media reported that Tehran is not conducting direct negotiations with the US to resolve the conflict, and that the US President’s statements are allegedly part of an effort to lower energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans.
