Donald Trump has declared he is in no rush to strike a peace deal with Iran, but a leading expert has said the President is under enormous pressure to secure an agreement quickly.
Trump Delays Announcement
Trump delayed an anticipated announcement on negotiations with Iran overnight, despite earlier signals a breakthrough deal was close.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said negotiations were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner” and insisted he had “informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side”.
“The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!” Trump wrote.
Expert Contradicts Trump
But Charles Kupchan, Professor of International Affairs and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Trump’s public claims do not reflect the reality facing the White House.
“When Trump says he’s in no rush, that’s actually not true. He’s in a rush,” Kupchan told Sunrise.
“The price of gas here in the US keeps going up. Republicans are starting to defect. This war is not very popular here in the United States.”
“He needs that Strait opened,” he said.
Current US Proposal
The current US proposal would reportedly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and trigger a 60-day ceasefire, though American officials do not expect a final deal to be signed immediately.
Kupchan said confusion still surrounds the negotiations after Trump prematurely signalled a breakthrough was close, only for no announcement to eventuate.
“Nobody really knows what the heck is going on here, including President Trump, and we just have to wait and see whether the parties are able to get this over the finish line.”
Uranium Stockpile at Stake
The negotiations centre around roughly 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, enriched up to 60 per cent purity. Most of the uranium is believed to be stored in a facility in Isfahan, which has previously been targeted by both Israeli and US strikes.
“We don’t yet know whether the Iranians have said, yes, we’re going to export everything. But apparently, there’s an agreement that they will get rid of it,” Kupchan said.
Questions also remain over whether Iran would still be allowed to enrich uranium through centrifuge operations under any final agreement.
Market Impact Expected
Kupchan warned that even if a deal is reached soon, it could take months before global oil and gas markets stabilise.
“I think you can see a market reaction early on in which the price of oil goes down, but to actually get us back to an oil market that looks more like pre-war that could take the balance of this year,” he said.
