President Donald Trump has told his aides to get ready for a risky, extended blockade of Iran as the U.S. tries to pressure Tehran into shuttering its nuclear program for the foreseeable future.
Officials warned this week that the war could turn into a drawn-out, Cold War-style conflict after Trump expressed frustration with Iran’s latest proposal to end the clash, which has now entered its third month.
The regime has proposed negotiating in three phases, with the first round of talks focused on permanently ending the fighting, followed by discussions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and then finally a deal involving Iran’s nuclear program.
The administration, however, wants Iran to agree from the outset to hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and to vow to suspend further enrichment for at least 20 years.
During a meeting in the Situation Room on Monday, Trump told his aides that the three-step offer was proof that Tehran wasn’t negotiating in good faith, The Wall Street Journal reported.
With peace talks stalled, he opted to continue preventing shipping to and from Iran’s ports and disrupting oil exports, to squeeze Iran’s economy until the regime agrees to end its nuclear program, sources told the Journal.
Iran’s leaders say they have a right to enrich uranium for civilian energy purposes, though ever since Trump ripped up the Obama administration’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action during his first term, Iran has enriched uranium far above the levels necessary for power plants and research reactors.
After reviewing Tehran’s latest proposal, Trump decided that continuing the blockade was less risky than his other options, namely resuming bombing or abandoning the conflict, sources told the Journal.
But maintaining the blockade carries its own set of problems, with U.S. troops remaining in the region and the Strait of Hormuz staying closed for months while both sides wait to see who caves first.
The narrow shipping lane has been a bottleneck for global oil supplies since the war began, sending prices soaring.
As long as the blockade remains in place, gas prices are projected to remain high, potentially spelling disaster for Republicans in November’s midterm elections.
“A frozen conflict is the worst thing for Trump politically and economically,” a source close to the president told Axios this week.
Another adviser described the president as “frustrated but realistic” and not willing to back down, Axios reported.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Journal that the U.S. has met Operation Epic Fury’s military objectives and that “thanks to the successful blockade of Iranian ports, the United States has maximum leverage over the regime” during negotiations to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“The president will only accept a deal that protects the national security of our country,” she said.
The Daily Beast has also reached out to the White House for comment.
