President Donald Trump announced that a deal with Iran could be signed as soon as this weekend, following a diplomatic breakthrough. Trump had previously planned attacks against Iran for Thursday night, but canceled them after the breakthrough.
Diplomatic Whiplash
This is the latest example of diplomatic whiplash, with Trump repeatedly saying the U.S. and Iran were on the cusp of a deal, only to come up short. However, Trump expressed confidence that this time would be different, stating that Iran has taken a pounding and wants to make a deal.
Trump also said that he believed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had signed off on the deal. The agreement would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping lane, and Iran has committed not to pursue a nuclear weapon, although the details of this commitment are still conceptual.
The announcement came after two days of back-and-forth attacks between the U.S. and Iran, during which Trump threatened to take total control of Iran’s oil and gas industries. When asked whether his threat to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil export hub, was off the table, Trump said it would be if the agreement is signed.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
