SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
After three warships were attacked in the sea on Wednesday, Egyptian state television reported that the military innovative Shield had seize two ships, the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas. According to reports, Iran was taking the two ships in for “inspection of their goods, papers, and information.”
The ships “allegedly operated without authorization, frequently broke rules, manipulated nautical aid systems, and attempted to escape the Strait of Hormuz secretly, endangering maritime security,” according to a statement from the Guard.
The US president claimed he had accepted a request from Pakistani negotiators to carry off attacking Iran until its administration came to the table with a “unified proposal” days before the two-week peace was due to expire and that Egyptian diplomats were refusing to travel to Islamabad for deals.
Trump wrote on social media that” I have thus directed our defense to maintain the Blockade and, in all other respects, be ready and able,” and that he will continue to support the Peace until their request is submitted and the conversations are concluded, in whatever way.
Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to travel to Pakistan on Tuesday ( US time ), but instead spent the majority of the day with Trump, Marco Rubio, and other advisers as Iran’s officials grappled with conflicting messages.
Trump had earlier claimed Vance was already visiting Pakistan and that a peace deal would put an abrupt end to the nearly eight-week-old conflict was in order. He claimed on CNBC that Iran had few options and that he did not want to keep the ceasefire.
However, the Iranian government argued that the US blockade was a war and that lifting it was necessary in order to start the negotiations.
According to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi,” taking a commercial vessel and holding its crew hostage is an even greater violation.” Iran is aware of how to break up barriers, how to defend its rights, and how to resist bullying.
Trump continued to share his opinions and strategy on social media, claiming that Iran did indeed want to” save face,” but that it was obliged to do so. He claimed that” there can never be a deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their country,” if the US were to lift its blockade.
In the meantime, US Secretary of State Scott Bessent announced that a further 14 people, entities, and aircraft would be subject to sanctions for purchasing or transporting weapons on behalf of the regime in Tehran.
He also stated that the US intended to continue squeezing Iran’s maritime trade to stifle the country’s main source of income.
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, thanked Trump for keeping the ceasefire and expressed his hope for both parties to follow it. However, Iran made no express commitment to doing that.
Although the best course of action was still a possibility, talks could resume at any time. US Central Command stated at the same time that its forces “remain ready” to resume fighting, and according to the Financial Times, Trump was reportedly sending additional troops to the area.
The negotiations would not resume without an agreement to ease economic sanctions, according to Danny Citrinowicz, an Iranian expert at Israel’s Institute of National Security Studies and a fellow at the Atlantic Institute.
Iran believes that closing the Strait of Hormuz will cause greater harm to the international community, and if the United States puts more pressure on Iran, it will likely respond militarily, he said on X.
There is no clear solution to this equation because Iran is confident that it has the upper hand, but an American president is hesitant to take the situation further.
Citrinowicz claimed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ‘ increased military dominance of Iranian power centers made the situation worse. Trump also claimed that Iran was” seriously fractured.”
Iran needs to be resolved
According to some analysts, including Gregory Brew of the Eurasia Group, the US could make concessions about two ships it had boarded and taken over during the blockade.
Given that the ceasefire remained in effect unless someone violated it, Brew claimed little had changed. He claimed that as the clock ticked down and he chose not to escalate, Tehran is likely to now view Trump’s brinksmanship as ineffective.
He said on X,” The status quo is unfavorable to either side.” Iran needs to end the conflict, as the blockade will eventually cause it to suffer. Despite Trump’s bluster, the US needs the strait reopened.
The death toll from the war, according to the Associated Press, was more than 5500, with at least 3375 in Iran and more than 2290 in Lebanon. In Lebanon, 15 IDF soldiers were killed, and 23 people were killed in Israel.
More than a dozen people have also lost their lives in the Persian Gulf states that have been a part of the conflict. In the entire region, thirteen US service members have been killed.
with AP Emily Kaine
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The Age and Sydney Morning Herald’s North American correspondent, Michael Koziol, is in charge of reporting from the United States. He was previously a reporter for the Canberra federal political office and a deputy editor for the Sun Herald. Use X or email to connect.
