TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump asserted that he remains firmly convinced his policy decisions regarding Iran were right for both the US and the global order in the long term, despite mounting domestic economic concerns over surging oil prices.
Reacting early Wednesday to the incoming US midterm election outcomes, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that the American electorate had decisively voted against the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Speaking in a telephone interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, President Trump noted that Washington has no immediate intentions of launching large-scale strikes against Iran, though he emphasized that American military forces remain fully posture-ready to intervene if circumstances demand.
Contrasting Washington’s stance, Iran’s national security chief stated on Tuesday that the responses provided by the US regarding Tehran’s diplomatic conditions were “unconvincing”. He reaffirmed that maritime transit through the strategic Strait of Hormuz would be restored only after the US comprehensively addresses and implements Iran’s seven outlined conditions.
Underscoring the depth of hostilities, Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei remarked on Tuesday that Tehran is engaged in a “total war” against the US and Israel—a confrontation that extends beyond conventional military clashes into economic and cognitive domains.
Earlier on Monday, Trump warned during a Fox News interview that the US military “might have to go after” Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified site linked to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, cautioning that full-scale hostilities could resume if diplomatic efforts fail to yield an agreement.
Amid the rhetoric, Qatari mediators facilitating the indirect negotiations expected both Washington and Tehran to deliver their official responses to a revised diplomatic proposal within 36 hours, according to a Reuters report citing an official familiar with the talks.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com