United States President Donald Trump has stated that a peace agreement with Iran is in its "final throes" and suggested that the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within "two or three days" if a deal is secured. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Trump declared, "It will open up immediately upon signing," and emphasized that under the terms of any agreement, Iran will not be permitted to develop nuclear weapons.
No Sticking Points, But Deadlock Persists
Trump asserted that there are no "sticking points" preventing a deal, despite ongoing issues such as the management of the Strait of Hormuz, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. These factors have contributed to the deadlock in negotiations thus far.
Trump's Warnings on Bombing
The president has repeatedly threatened to resume full-scale bombing of Iran but has pulled back several times. He acknowledged that new strikes would likely keep the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control and lead to a dangerous escalation of attacks on US-allied Gulf states. "If we go and bomb – which we can do very easily if we want and we spend another two or three weeks bombing – they'll have nothing left whatsoever but you won't have the strait open for months," Trump warned. He added, "If we do the bombing a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don't. And we'll have a signed document that is actually stronger than doing the bombing."
Impact on Energy Prices
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to soaring energy prices globally, including in the United States, where the war is deeply unpopular. Trump noted, "We are very close to having a very, very good strong, powerful deal."
Israel-Iran Tensions
Trump struck a casual tone regarding the conflict between Israel and Iran, stating that he had a "very good conversation" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He suggested that Israel and Iran would leave each other alone for at least a week. "He was hit, and he hit back, and I can't blame him for that," Trump said. "But he was hit, he hit back, and now they've called it quits. So they're going to just leave each other alone for another week or something."
Despite Trump's wishes, Israel attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, which Tehran viewed as a violation of the US-Iran ceasefire. Israel claimed it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure after the group fired rockets at northern Israel. In response, Iran launched missiles at Israel on Sunday, leading to a fresh exchange of fire. Iran announced a cessation of its fire after Trump demanded both sides stop "shooting" in a social media post. However, Tehran warned it would attack again if Israel persisted with strikes in Lebanon, while Netanyahu warned that if Iran "make[s] the mistake of resuming attacks against us, we will respond with full force."
