Trump eliminates Hormuz tolls and plans greater Gulf extortion

Do we rule out Iran returning to negotiations for these reasons?

US President Donald Trump offered the Iranian leadership a tremendous present when he announced the imposition of penalties on ships that may amount to tens of millions of dollars for each giant oil tanker that crosses the Strait of Hormuz just once. With this decision, he not only legitimised the Iranian move, which Trump and his secretary of state had staunchly opposed, but also legitimised the position of other countries with authority over analogous straits.

This “Trumpian” gift became even more significant when President Trump retracted his plan to impose a 20% fee on cargo value less than 24 hours after proposing it, replacing it with trade and investment agreements with Gulf countries in exchange for protecting their ships, ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf countries’ own security from the “Iranian threat”.

This quick retreat and the offer of investment alternatives to Gulf countries remind us of the popular saying, “He came to kohl her eyes but ended up blinding her,” which literally applies to the American president, portraying him as a confused and weak leader not only in front of his Iranian adversaries but also in front of his Arab allies in the Gulf region.

This isn’t the first time Trump has backtracked on his threats, such as slapping tariffs or threatening to wipe Iran off the map. Certainly, he will immediately reverse his decision to restart the war, commence attacks on southern Iranian cities, impose a new maritime embargo on all Iranian ports, and threaten to target bridges and power plants if the Iranian leadership does not resume talks.

The Iranian leadership has a long-term strategy to extend the battle of attrition that has entangled the US president, now in its fifth month. Previous rounds of negotiations in which this leadership participated have shown that this strategy is effective, especially in swaying American public opinion against its president, who is waging a war with no popular support, no clear strategy, no safe exit, and no reduction in its economic burdens, as well as possible human and military casualties.

We do not rule out the possibility of mediators resuming their attempts to terminate the war and offering President Trump a lifeline to retreat, possibly for the tenth time, and end the conflict. Similarly, we do not rule out the prospect of the Iranians reacting and returning to negotiations, as well as restoring the ceasefire agreement, also known as a memorandum of understanding, to save the face of the American president and his associated mediators and executors of his commands. The Iranians are cunning and play a “cat and mouse” game with the American president, with the Iranians as the cat and Trump as the mouse. The CIA openly acknowledged Iran’s sophisticated and precisely prepared methods in documented statements from its commanders.

Finally, we believe that the Iranians are pleased that the leader of America is a fool and a jester like President Trump, who suffers from definite nervous and psychiatric crises that do not require medical verification. The following weeks will be full of unexpected revelations for the American people first and the Israeli occupation state second. This swift and strong response, which includes the expansion of bombings on American sites in Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, is only the beginning. Resistance rockets “taught” the occupation state a lesson in Lebanon, the Galilee, Haifa, and Tel Aviv, and now it’s time for Trump, aircraft carriers, and naval destroyers. The most visible sign is the devastation of the American Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain.

https://www.raialyoum.com/trump-eliminates-hormuz-tolls-and-plans-greater-gulf-extortion/