Trump is more seriously weighing a return to major combat operations against Iran, frustrated by the Hormuz closure and stalled nuclear talks, with his national security team reviewing options, CNN reported.
Summary:
- Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the pace and substance of Iran negotiations and is more seriously considering resuming major combat operations than at any point in recent weeks
- His impatience centres on the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and what he views as divisions within Iranian leadership blocking meaningful concessions on nuclear talks
- Trump described Iran’s latest negotiating response as both totally unacceptable and stupid, prompting officials to question whether Tehran is engaging seriously
- The administration is split between those pushing for targeted strikes to further weaken Iran’s position and those arguing diplomacy should be given more time
- Trump and his national security team met at the White House on Monday to discuss options, but a major decision is not expected before the president’s departure for China on Tuesday afternoon
- Some US officials have questioned whether Pakistani mediators are accurately conveying Trump’s frustration to Tehran, with concerns that Pakistan may be presenting a more favourable version of the Iranian position than the reality
President Donald Trump is more seriously weighing a resumption of major combat operations against Iran than at any point in recent weeks, according to sources familiar with internal discussions, as nuclear negotiations stall and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
Trump has grown sharply impatient with the state of talks, frustrated both by Iran’s continued blockade of the critical shipping waterway and by what he perceives as divisions within the Iranian leadership that are preventing any substantive movement on nuclear concessions. His response to Iran’s latest negotiating position has been blunt, with sources saying he dismissed it as both totally unacceptable and stupid. That reaction has led a number of officials to question whether Tehran is genuinely prepared to take up a serious negotiating stance.
The administration is not unified on how to respond. Two distinct camps have emerged. One group is pushing for a more aggressive posture, including targeted military strikes designed to further degrade Iran’s position and force it to the table. The other continues to advocate for diplomacy, arguing that negotiations should be given a genuine opportunity before any return to large-scale hostilities is considered.
A separate source of tension within the administration concerns the role of Pakistani mediators. Several Trump officials have long harboured doubts about whether Islamabad is communicating Washington’s displeasure forcefully enough to Tehran. Some now believe Pakistan has been presenting a rosier picture of Iran’s negotiating position to the US than the reality on the ground warrants, a concern that has added another layer of friction to an already fraught process.
Trump convened his national security team at the White House on Monday to review the available options. However, sources said a definitive decision on how to proceed is unlikely to be reached before the president departs for China on Tuesday afternoon, where trade talks with Beijing will take centre stage.
The combination of stalled diplomacy, a divided administration and an impatient president leaves the Hormuz closure, and the oil market disruption it has caused, without a clear resolution timeline.
That screenshot if from yesterday.
Opposing views on the issue are that Trump and his advisers are out of touch with Iranian thinking and are incapable of effective analysis and thus action.
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Any credible signal of a return to major US combat operations against Iran would immediately reprice oil risk upward, with the Strait of Hormuz closure already the dominant supply disruption in global markets. The reported internal debate between hawks pushing for targeted strikes and those favouring continued diplomacy introduces a binary risk premium: a diplomatic breakthrough would release significant downward pressure on crude prices, while a resumption of strikes could push Brent toward and potentially beyond the $150 level flagged by Citi and JPMorgan. The additional detail that a major decision is unlikely before Trump departs for China on Tuesday afternoon gives markets a narrow window of relative clarity, but the underlying geopolitical risk remains acutely elevated.
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.
