U.S. officials are sounding the alarm that President Donald Trump’s war on Iran could turn into a drawn-out conflict that would be politically and economically devastating for the administration.
The president is reportedly unhappy with Iran’s latest proposal to end the war, which is entering its third month, because it doesn’t address the administration’s “red line” issue: Tehran’s nuclear program.
The U.S. wants Iran to hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, but the regime is first demanding guarantees that the U.S. won’t start bombing Iranian targets again after Trump agreed to a temporary ceasefire, Reuters reported.
Separately, negotiators would resolve the U.S. Navy’s block of Iran’s sea trade and agree to terms to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping lane that has been a bottleneck for global oil supplies since the war began, before finally tackling the nuclear issue.
With peace talks stalled, the impasse has the president vacillating between launching new military strikes or waiting to see whether Iran will eventually succumb to financial pressure and negotiate an end to its nuclear program, which the country maintains is for civilian energy purposes.
“All [Iran’s leaders] understand is bombs,” Trump told an adviser, who shared the comment with Axios.
“I would describe him as frustrated but realistic,” the adviser said. “He doesn’t want to use force. But he’s not backing down.”
Aides, however, are worried about the president getting drawn into a Cold War-like scenario where there’s no war but no deal, Axios reported.
A stalemate would mean troops remaining in the region and the Strait of Hormuz staying closed for months while both sides wait to see who caves first.
In the meantime, gas prices would remain high as the clock winds down on November’s midterm elections.
“A frozen conflict is the worst thing for Trump politically and economically,” a source told Axios.
The president discussed the Iran proposal with his national security team on Monday, but no decisions were made.
One official told The New York Times that accepting the Iranian proposal would deny Trump a victory.
The president has repeatedly invoked Tehran’s nuclear program as the reason he attacked Iran in the first place.
“The United States will not negotiate through the press—we have been clear about our red lines and the president will only make a deal that’s good for the American people and the world,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told the Times in a statement.
The Daily Beast has also reached out for comment.
