After a diplomatic team led by Vice President JD Vance failed to\nreach an agreement through negotiations to end the US-Iran war on\nSaturday (11\/04), President Donald Trump must decide on the next\nsteps.<\/p>\n
That decision was announced on Sunday morning (12\/04) through a\nseries of posts on Truth Social.<\/p>\n
The US will impose a naval blockade against Iran, Trump wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one paying illegal fees will get a safe passage in international\nwaters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also stated that the US will continue clearing mines in the Strait\nof Hormuz to ensure the safety of allied shipping.<\/p>\n
The US military, he added, is in a \u201ccombat-ready\u201d position and\nprepared to resume strikes against Iran at the \u201cappropriate time\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump added that although there was progress in the 20-hour\nnegotiations in Islamabad, Iran was unwilling to meet US demands to halt\nits nuclear ambitions.<\/p>\n
That view was somewhat contradicted by a US official familiar with\nthe course of the Vance-led talks.<\/p>\n
The official revealed a much longer list of differences, including\nIran\u2019s control over the Strait of Hormuz and its support for proxy\ngroups in the region, such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah\nin Lebanon.<\/p>\n
Although Trump\u2019s latest posts do not feature apocalyptic rhetoric\nlike last week\u2019s threat to end Iranian civilisation, those statements\nstill present a number of new challenges and risks for the US side.<\/p>\n
Will mine-clearing activities place US Navy ships at greater risk of\nIranian attacks?<\/p>\n
How will the US determine who is paying fees to Iran?<\/p>\n
Will the US use force against foreign-flagged vessels ignoring the\nblockade?<\/p>\n
How will oil-dependent countries like China respond?<\/p>\n
And will this step, intended to choke Iran\u2019s main revenue source,\ninstead drive oil prices to higher levels?<\/p>\n
There are no clear answers to those questions.<\/p>\n
On Sunday afternoon, the US Central Command announced that the naval\nblockade will stop all ships travelling to or from Iranian ports, a set\nof provisions different from the action plan previously announced by\nTrump.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand how blockading the strait will encourage Iran to\nreopen it,\u201d Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democratic politician on\nthe Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN on Sunday.<\/p>\n
On CBS\u2019s Face the Nation programme, Republican Congressman Mike\nTurner from Ohio, who until last year served as chairman of the House\nIntelligence Committee, said the blockade was a way to force a\nresolution to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe President, by saying we won\u2019t just let them decide who can pass\nthrough, is clearly calling on all allies and parties to sit at the\nnegotiating table,\u201d he said. \u201cThis issue needs to be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, before Iran and the US agreed to a two-week ceasefire and\ndirect face-to-face negotiations, Donald Trump was in a difficult\nposition.<\/p>\n
He could continue escalating US attacks on Iran, potentially causing\nlong-term damage to the country\u2019s civilian infrastructure, worsening the\nhumanitarian crisis, and further shaking global economic stability.<\/p>\n
Or, he could withdraw from a war that has been unpopular with the US\npublic from the start and is now beginning to cause frustration even\namong some of Trump\u2019s own supporters, those who have long trusted his\npromise to avoid prolonged foreign conflicts and deep involvement in the\nMiddle East.<\/p>\n
A recent CBS poll shows that the majority of Americans (59%) rate\nthis war as going somewhat badly or very badly for the US.<\/p>\n
Many believe that the US\u2019s main goals, such as keeping the Strait of\nHormuz open, ensuring greater freedom for the Iranian people, and\npermanently ending Iran\u2019s nuclear programme, have not yet been\nachieved.<\/p>\n
The majority from both parties in the US consider achieving those\ngoals as important.<\/p>\n
Nearly a week has passed and, although the US claims victory, the\ndilemma facing the president has essentially not changed.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday morning, Trump said Iran will\nultimately give the US \u201ceverything\u201d it wants.<\/p>\n
He added that although oil prices may remain the same or even higher\nin the coming months, he believes the US economy will be able to\nwithstand it.<\/p>\n
That statement, at least, is a major gamble.<\/p>\n
With midterm elections in November approaching, President Trump\u2019s\nRepublican Party could suffer major losses at the ballot box if his\ncalculations are wrong.<\/p>\n
On Saturday night, while his vice president was negotiating with\nIranian officials in Pakistan, Trump instead travelled to Miami, where\nhe watched professional fighters beat each other in a UFC (Ultimate\nFighting Championship) home match.<\/p>\n
According to members of the press pool present, the scene was\nsomewhat strange and awkward.<\/p>\n
The US President was seen watching a brutal physical fight in a\nblood-stained arena, chatting with celebrities, and occasionally\nengaging in intense discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and\nother advisers, all taking place in front of thousands of\nspectators.<\/p>\n
The ultimate fighting bouts in the arena, though brutal, have clear\nrules and time limits, and always end with a winner and a loser.<\/p>\n
Such clarity may not<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trumps-threat-of-hormuz-strait-blockade-highly-risky-why-1776063119", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }