US President Donald Trump was ready to end the war with Iran even without signing a nuclear deal. He was preparing the ground for a victory announcement if Tehran fully opened the Strait of Hormuz. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials.
According to officials, all US attempts to quickly exit the war with Iran have been complicated by Iran's new demands for the resumption of navigation. Tehran now demands billions of dollars in reparations, as well as the withdrawal of US troops from the region and the lifting of the naval blockade.
"Iran's recent tough demands for the restoration of the strait make it increasingly difficult for the president to create face-saving ways out of the conflict," Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told reporters.
Gregory Brew, an Iran expert at Eurasia Group consulting firm, stated that Iran believes Trump wants to withdraw from the strait and is focused on its opening. According to him, this pushes Tehran to make tougher demands.
Sources told the publication that the White House had been trying to include nuclear weapons issues in broader negotiations with Iran since April, but the process dragged on. After that, Washington focused on resuming navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Vice President JD Vance stated that Washington is ready to continue to put pressure on Iran. However, he admitted that the US wants to reach an agreement with Tehran if the conditions are acceptable to them.
Earlier, CNN reported that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, is privately urging the Donald Trump administration to "find a way to end the war" with Iran. According to sources, the US general believes that further military escalation could backfire.
According to sources, the general discussed his concerns about further escalation and the need to find a way out of the war with other high-ranking administration officials – CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance.
