With less than 72 hours remaining until the ceasefire agreed upon by the United States and Iran expires, both countries are rushing to explore their last negotiation options before the conflict in the Middle East enters a new scenario with unpredictable consequences. Amidst growing tension and with the truce fractured after the new blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on several ships by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he will send a diplomatic delegation to Islamabad (Pakistan) to resume peace talks this coming Tuesday. However, Iranian authorities state that they have not yet decided to attend the meeting “as long as there is a naval blockade” by the United States, according to the Iranian news agency.
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The occupant of the White House wrote via his social network Truth: “My representatives are heading to Islamabad, Pakistan; they will be there tomorrow afternoon to engage in negotiations.” Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his best friend and son-in-law, will lead the U.S. diplomatic delegation, as revealed by the president in phone calls to various media outlets. It is unclear whether U.S. Vice President JD Vance will travel with the entourage. White House officials claim he will accompany Witkoff and Kushner, but Trump assured ABC that he would not be able to travel for security reasons.
Trump’s strategy adds tension. While on one hand he showed willingness to maintain negotiations, on the other he reverted to his more belligerent discourse. “We are offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they accept it because, if they don’t, the United States will destroy every single power plant, as well as every single bridge in Iran. NO MORE BEING THE ‘GOOD GUY’! They will fall fast, they will fall easily, and if they don’t accept the DEAL, it will be an honor for me to do what needs to be done; something other presidents should have done to Iran over the past 47 years. IT’S TIME TO END IRAN’S KILLING MACHINE!”
The president’s strategy is no secret. To unravel the author of The Art of the Deal, a book that had some success in the late eighties, one only needs to glance at his manual written almost four decades ago. “My negotiating style is quite simple and straightforward. I aim very high, and from there it’s all about pushing and pushing until I get what I want. Sometimes I settle for less, but in many cases, I achieve what I set out to do,” he wrote then.
In phone conversations with some media outlets, the president, in his new strategy to convey his message, escalated the threats: “We are preparing to hit them harder than any country has ever been hit before because they cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” he told Fox News. “If they don’t sign this agreement, the whole country is going to blow up,” he insisted.
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So he handles extreme threats and negotiation in the same hand of cards. The Republican leader is starting to despair over the development of a war he expected to end in a few weeks, but which seems to be festering. This weekend has been an example of the unpredictable situation in the Persian Gulf. Iranian authorities announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, a move celebrated with some euphoria by Trump, who thought he saw the end of the conflict closer, but a few hours later the Islamist regime closed the strategic passage again, feeling disappointed by Washington’s continued blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump offered his own version of events this Sunday via his main communication platform: “Iran decided to fire yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz: a total violation of our ceasefire agreement! Many of the shots were aimed at a French vessel and a UK freighter. That wasn’t good, was it? Iran recently announced it would close the strait, which is strange, given that our BLOCKADE has already closed it.” They are helping us without knowing it, and they are the ones losing out with the closure of the passage: $500 million a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many ships are currently heading to the U.S. —to Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska— to load goods, courtesy of the IRGC, who always want to act like “the tough guy”!.
Trump seems trapped in a conflict that is taking a toll on his poll numbers. His approval rating is at an all-time low with just six months left until the midterm elections, which will decide the future of the legislature.
That’s why he insists on ending the war he himself started, following the advice of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran also does not want to prolong the conflict, but it has drawn two red lines. On one hand, it wants to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities want to charge tolls or fees to ships crossing the 34 kilometers of the waterway, which they see as a new source of income. On the other hand, they do not want to give up their nuclear program because they believe international law protects them. But precisely these are also two red lines for Washington, which will not accept controls over the Strait and does not trust Iran’s nuclear intentions,
