Iran Proposal Rejected, Trump Insists Blockade Continues
US President Donald Trump has affirmed that the naval blockade against Iranian ports will continue until a nuclear agreement is achieved. Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal regarding the suggestion to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the condition of lifting the US naval blockade.
According to detikNews, Iran’s latest proposal also suggested delaying nuclear negotiations to the next stage of talks after the Strait of Hormuz is opened and the US blockade is lifted. Trump claimed that Tehran wants to reach an agreement to lift the naval blockade imposed by Washington on Iranian ports.
“They (Iran) want to resolve this issue. They don’t want me to maintain the blockade. I don’t want to do it (lift the blockade), because I don’t want them to have nuclear weapons,” Trump said in an interview with US media outlet Axios.
Trump revealed that he chooses to maintain the naval blockade to pressure Iran over its nuclear programme. He emphasised that his primary goal is to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“This blockade is somewhat more effective than bombing. They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it will get worse for them. They cannot have nuclear weapons,” Trump stated.
Trump asserted that Iran’s oil storage and pipelines are nearly bursting because they cannot export oil due to the US naval blockade. Several analysts doubt that Tehran is in immediate danger regarding that sector.
According to Trump, the naval blockade serves as an effective bargaining tool. Several sources told Axios that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) is preparing plans for a ‘short and strong’ wave of air strikes to break the diplomatic deadlock if Iran refuses to yield.
However, the sources cited by Axios also stated that Trump has not yet authorised any military action against Iran to date. Trump said that negotiations with Iran are still ongoing and claimed that Tehran is making significant progress.
“The question is whether they will go far enough or not. At this point, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will never be nuclear weapons,” the US President emphasised.
On the other hand, the Iranian side clarified that they do not agree with Trump’s assessment. An Iranian security source quoted by Press TV said that the US naval blockade will soon be met with practical and unprecedented actions.