Some U.S. officials believe President Donald Trump is privately skeptical about reaching a deal with Iran and expect him to issue a final airstrike order on Tuesday evening (the 7th), the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday (local time). If realized, the conflict in the Middle East could escalate uncontrollably.
The WSJ report, headlined "Hopes Fade for a Deal With Iran Ahead of Tuesday Night Deadline," conveyed these assessments. The report added, however, that "Trump's assessment could change depending on how negotiations progress overnight." It also noted that "Trump could extend the deadline again," while pointing out that "he has already done so several times."
According to the report, some U.S. officials are saying "the gap between the U.S. and Iran is too wide to bridge before the deadline." Trump set 8 p.m. on the 7th (9 a.m. on the 8th Korea time) as the deadline for strikes on Iranian power plants, bridges and other targets. Meanwhile, according to Arab sources, Iran believes that even if negotiations with the U.S. advance, the U.S. would continue attacking targets inside Iran and Israel would press on with airstrikes aimed at eliminating senior Iranian officials.
At a press conference held that afternoon, Trump said he believes "Iran is negotiating in good faith," but also unleashed a series of hardline remarks. He repeated four times that he would "never allow Iran to have nuclear weapons." When asked whether he was willing to end the war while Iran charges transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, he shot back, "How about the United States charges the tolls?" adding, "Why not? We are the winners." He also said, "As a businessman, I would like to take Iran's oil." All of these are statements Iran would consider highly provocative.
Iran fired back. In response to a mediator's proposal for a "45-day ceasefire," Iran counter-proposed a permanent end to hostilities with conditions including: ▲a complete halt to all military clashes in the region, ▲establishment of a new protocol for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, ▲post-war reconstruction support, and ▲lifting of economic sanctions against Iran. All of these demands are considerably far from Trump's requirements. Responding to Trump's press conference, Hatam al-Anbiya, spokesperson for Iran's Central Military Headquarters, criticized it as "rude and arrogant rhetoric of a U.S. president gripped by delusion."
In response to the WSJ report, a White House spokesperson said, "Only President Trump knows what he will do, and the world will learn tomorrow night whether bridges and power plants will be destroyed."
