Trump: I’m Confident Iran Will Soon Seek Negotiations
The U.S. President believes that the policy of “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic will bring it to the negotiating table. According to Trump, Iran will “soon” negotiate. However, Germany’s Foreign Minister warned of the risk of military conflict in the region.
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, continues to emphasize that his “maximum pressure” policy on the Islamic Republic will yield results and bring the country’s leadership to the negotiating table. Trump wrote on Twitter yesterday, Wednesday, May 15: “I am confident that Iran will soon seek to negotiate.”
He also wrote in two tweets, calling Washington Post and New York Times speculation about disagreements in his administration “lies”: “Different opinions are expressed and I make the final and decisive decision. This process is very simple. All sides, viewpoints, and policies are covered.”
The U.S. President in recent days has accompanied his pressure on the Islamic Republic through new sanctions and increased presence in the Middle East with signals for negotiations with Iran. He said last week, among other things, that he is ready to talk with the leaders of the Islamic Republic.
In contrast, Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, while ruling out the possibility of war between Iran and the United States, has also rejected negotiations with the Trump administration as a “double poison.”
Trump seeks to renegotiate the nuclear deal with Iran and to reconcile the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program. The U.S. President furthermore seeks to limit Iran’s missile program and halt its activities in critical areas of the Middle East, which he refers to as “interference” and “destabilizing the region.”
Tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States peaked a week ago on the anniversary of Trump’s announcement of America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA. Washington imposed additional sanctions on Iran’s metal and mining industries, and Tehran announced that it would no longer abide by some of its commitments under the deal.
Beyond deploying B-52 bombers at the “Al-Udeid” military base in Qatar, the United States also sent the aircraft carrier “USS Abraham Lincoln” to the waters of the region. The reason for this action was stated to be “threats from Iran.”
“Extremely Serious” Risk
Washington also announced yesterday that it will withdraw a large portion of its diplomats whose presence in Iraq is not “necessary” from the country. According to U.S. government sources who wished to remain anonymous, the reason is the threat posed to Americans by Iraqi militias that take orders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Meanwhile, Heiko Maas, Germany’s Foreign Minister, warned of the risk of military conflict in the Middle East in the event of a definitive failure of the nuclear deal with Iran. Maas told the German parliament, the Bundestag: “We must and will make all efforts to prevent military conflict.”
Germany’s Foreign Minister called the risk of escalating tensions in the region “extremely serious” and called on the United States to make efforts toward finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute. Heiko Maas emphasized: “Maximum pressure always carries the risk of an unwanted military conflict.”
Source: DW
