President Donald Trump said Sunday in an interview with Fox News that Britain and other countries would send mine-countermeasures ships to the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, he stated that NATO should be “rethought.” He confirmed that he intended to block the strait and that this could affect oil prices.
In a telephone interview with journalist Maria Bartiromo, Trump explained his statement about the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, published an hour earlier. As he suggested, it is intended to prevent Iran from passing friendly ships and collecting fees. He predicted that “it would take some time”, but at the same time predicted the quick success of the project.
– There will come a time when we will have an “everyone in and out” rule. But it won't be a percentage. It won't be your friend, your ally (…) it will be on an “all or nothing” basis. And it won't be too far in time, he declared.
He also announced that Great Britain and other countries would send mine-countermeasures ships to the Strait of Hormuz.
– We now have minesweepers, we have very advanced underwater minesweepers that are the latest and greatest, but we are also bringing in more traditional minesweepers. And from what I understand, Great Britain and a few other countries are sending minesweepers, he said.
Trump repeated that he was disappointed with NATO's attitude, adding that only now are allies ready to help.
“Now they want to come and help in the strait, and it won't take much time to clear it,” he assured. Nevertheless, later in the interview – returning to his grievances against NATO – he emphasized that he had to “rethink” the Alliance.
Despite the failure of Saturday's talks with Iran, Trump expressed confidence that Iran would return to the negotiating table because “it has no cards.” He emphasized that the most important thing for him is to exclude the possibility of Iran possessing nuclear weapons.
– They did not leave the negotiating table. I predict they will come back and give us everything we want. And I told my people: I want everything. I don't want 90 percent, I don't want 95 percent. I told them: I want everything, he noted. He later added that if this does not happen, he will carry out his previous threats to destroy the country's civil infrastructure, including power plants, water desalination plants and bridges.
– We wiped out their entire country. Basically, all we have left is water, the destruction of which would be very catastrophic. I wouldn't like to do that (…) their power plants, which are very easy to attack. We can attack them. We can cause them to collapse, literally, so that they will not have electricity for 10 years, because it takes 10 years to build such power plants and they will probably never be able to rebuild them, he said. – Bridges are really all we have left. A few more rocket factories. We know every one of them, we will do it. We have other things, he continued.
The US president admitted that as a result of the blockade of Hormuz, oil prices may remain higher. Asked whether they would return to normal by the midterm elections in November, he said he “hoped so,” but admitted it could remain at current levels or even go higher.
Trump also renewed his threat to impose a 50% cut. tariffs on countries that transfer weapons to Iran, noting that this also applies to China.
– I hear reports that China is giving shoulder missiles, so-called shoulder missiles, anti-aircraft missiles; I doubt they would because I have a relationship with them and I don't think they would, but maybe they did a little in the beginning. But if we catch them doing it, they will receive a 50% duty, which is a staggering amount, he said.
Last week, the president announced the imposition of a 50 percent tax. tariffs “effective immediately,” although in fact no new tariffs have taken effect, nor does Trump have the authority – after this year's Supreme Court ruling – to impose new tariffs of that amount overnight.
“NYT”: After the failure of peace negotiations with Iran, Trump is left with difficult options
After the failure of peace negotiations with Iran, President Donald Trump was left with difficult options: trying to enter into long, arduous talks with Tehran or continuing the war and the prospect of a long-term fight for control of the Strait of Hormuz – notes the New York Times on Sunday.
It is no surprise that the 21-hour marathon of negotiations with Iran, in which Vice President JD Vance led the American team, did not bring results, and Trump was left with unfortunate options – concludes the New York daily in the text entitled “And what now?”
White House representatives do not want to answer this question and refer them to the president, who is spending the weekend in Florida, where he went to watch an Ultimate Fighting Championship match, a mixed martial arts competition.
Trump assumed that Tehran would bow in confrontation with US military power, but the Islamic Republic intends to show that no scale of US attacks will force it to submit. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs even issued a statement after the interruption of peace negotiations in Pakistan, emphasizing that now the country's authorities will “defend Iran's national interests and its rights more decisively than ever before,” the daily reports.
The president's options are to try to resume negotiations or go to war. But – as “NYT” reports – his administration does not want to be drawn into complex, long negotiations. The Iran nuclear deal reached under President Barack Obama took two years to negotiate; Trump withdrew the US from this treaty during his first term.
It is possible that in the coming days the White House will announce the resumption of military operations, but the New York daily estimates that “this is not a particularly politically profitable choice for Trump, and the Iranians know it.”
Trump announced the truce partly due to the problems caused by the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, which reduced the supply of oil to global markets by 20 percent, increased fuel prices and led to various shortages, including: artificial fertilizers.
If the president continues to wage war, anxiety will return to the markets, quotations will fall, and inflation, which already reaches 3.3 percent, will inevitably increase, the daily warns.
For now – summarizes “NYT” – the failure of peace negotiations proves that each side of the conflict believes that it has won the first round of the war, and neither is willing to compromise.
From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
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