LOS ANGELES (OC).–Dealing with the Iran War, Iran’s mullah government continues to executive dissidents, charging them with spying for Israel or violating some vague notion of God’s law. When President Donald Trump’s delegation meets in Islamabad for peace talks, the last thing on the agenda for Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner will be how many dissidents Iran executies. Iran hung Mahammad Masoom Shahi, 38 and Hamed Validi, 45, both liquidated on bogus charges of treason. Whatever the radical mullah regime does to hang on to power, it’s a matter of time before enough resistance group overwhelms mullah rule and creates a new democratic government. Trump can only deal with the conditions for ending the Iran war, more related to global commerce in opening up shipping routes in the Hormuz Strait, now closed to open traffic.
Iran said it wants sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz where Arab Gulf states and others depend on open transiting of petroleum, natural gas, fertilizer and other goods to destinations around the world. Sine the Feb. 28 start of the Iran War, global energy markets have skyrocketed, with the European Union complaining they’re running out of jet fuel, forcing potential delays and cancellations to air travel. Trump knows the interruption to international commerce and wants to end the war to resume commercial shipping and global supply chains. As long as Iran enages in terrorism to hijack the Strait of Hormuz, the global business community suffers with shortages and skyrocketing prices. So, when it comes to the next round of negotiating with Iran, it’s not going to be easy for Trump to end the conflict without making concessions to the mullah government.
Iran says it wants war reparations from the United States, something Trump would have a big problem with since the U.S. holds the cards in any negotiation. Unlike other nations, Iran has practice state-sponsored terrorism, considering itself beyond the rules based order to extort and blackmail any country in conflict with Tehran. Watching Iran hang anyone seen as opposed to the mullah government shows that Iran means business when it comes to staying in power. Trump thought he could get regime change in Iran but has found out the mullah government is deeply entrenched for the time being, adjusting strategic objectives to containing Iran’s nuke program and degrading its military. Over the last six weeks of war, Iran no longer presents a threat to the U.S. or Israel when it comes to its military. Iran’s IRGC still has swift boats to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Opposition groups like the National Council of Resistance of Iran [NCRI] and its political group MEK continue under intense crackdown with executions of members occurring often. “With today’s executions, at least 15 prioners have been executives ince 19 March,” said Mahmood Amiry Maghaddam, director of Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights. “The two members of the MEK join a growing number of heroic members executed this month under the rule of religious dictatorship, MEK’s leader Maryam Rajavi wrote on X. Trump and his negotiation can’t begin to deal with the amount of cryptic executions of anyone the mullah government views as dissidents. Trump’s peace delegation will focus on a long-term peace deal that opens up the Hormuz Strait and agrees to curtain its nuclear enrichment program, despite the fact it’s no longer operational.
Trump said today that it’s unlikely he would continue the ceasefire if Iran does not sign a new peace deal at the next round of talks in Islamabad. Iran knows all the talk about war reparations of its sovereignty over the Hormuz Strait are all non-starters when it comes completing any kind of long-term peace deal. Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire to see if Pakistan President Shehbaz Sharif can help broker a peace deal. Trump said before the pause in fighting that he would resume bombing Iran’s energy infrastructure and bridges if Iran doesn’t agree to a peace deal. Iran insists Trump is making unrealistic demands when it comes to Iran’s nuclear stockpile of enriched uranium, estimated at nearly 1,000 pounds, enough to make several A-bombs. Iranian officials have said that under no circumstances would they surrender its stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iran insists that it maintains its nuke program purely for civilian purposes, including medical uses and for reactor fuel. Whatever crackdown goes on in Iran, it can’t distract J.D. Vance and the negotiation team from getting a peace deal that meets the minimum U.S. requirement for U.S. foreign policy and national security. Trump said today if Iran doesn’t agree to a new deal in Islamabad, he would most likely not renew the truce, returning to his original plan to bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure and bridges. Iran’s mullah regime still thinks it can hold the world hostage to its terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz. With energy shortages and skyrocketing prices hitting Europe, there’s not much time left for a peace deal. Iran has shown no realistic approach to peace, acting as if they’re in charge of the process. Trump looks like he’s losing patience with diplomacy.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
