LOS ANGELES (OC).–Speaking on the last day of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Prsidend Donald Trump confimed the U.S. has resumed bombing key Iranian military sites after the IRGC struck cmmerical ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said he wasn’t optimistic about the MOU saying that Iran behaved very badly striking more commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz Ending its three-day funeral in Iran for the late Supreme Leaders Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Tehran-based mullah leaders called for revenge for the death of Khamenei, prompting the IRGC to start attacting commercial ships in the Hormuz Strait. Trump expect Iran to abide by the terms of the MOU that calls on Iran to open up the Hormuz Strait without restrictions for commercial shipping. Calling on the IRGC to start up its strikes on commercial shipping shows that revenge for Khamenei’s death is more important than peace.
Once Khamenei’s funeral ends, Iran will get back to mediation with the U.S. on meeting the conditions of the MOU. Whether Trump believe that or not, he’s going to proceed with new bombing until Iran goes back to the peace table. Iran’s Tehran-based mullah leaders led by President Mahmoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Galifbat have no control over the IRGC that operated independently in the Hormuz Strait. “Aything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said in Ankara, saing the U.S. “could just finish the job,” meaning that he could end any attempt at diplomacy and resumer the original bombing plan. Iran keeps defiantly resisting Trump’s plans to end the Iran War on Trump’s plans. Iran accuses Trump of bullying Iran, something the Iranian people would not permit.
Trump faces real challenges ahead dealing with Iran because they refuse to reach any agreement that shows weakness. When it comes to the humiliation Iran face with Trump bombing their underground nuke program, Ian wants no part of peacemaking, only finding ways to retaliate, now resorting to primitive acts of terrorism. Attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz shows that the IRGC only looks for retaliation and control, not to implement any agreement that benefits the U.S. Whether Trump continues bombing or not, mediaters like Pakistan and Qatar will trying to get diplomacy back on the table to stop the war. Trump wants to find a diplomatic solution, just doesn’t have a peace partner to find a political solution. Trump wants Iran to surrender its nuclear stockpile of some 1,000 pounds of 60% enriched uranium, something that could be converted to weapons grade material.
Getting back to the peace table won’t happen until the late Supreme LeaderAyatollahAli Khamenei is finally interred in the Reza Shrine in Mashad, his birthplace. When that happens Iran will acquiesce to demands to get back to the peace table, with the same thing happening againt without some major change to the IRGC. Unless the IRGC is brought back within civilian leadership, it will continue to strike commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting retaliation by the U.S. Recent bombings by Trump let theTehran-based civilian leadership know that it won’t tolerate the IRGC running amok in the Strait of Hormuz. Without any help from NATO or the EU, Trump is on his own to figure out a fix in Iran. U.S. allies have taken a hands off approach to opening up the Strait of Hormuz, event though they get about 20% of their oil and natual gas from the Strait.
Striking air defenses, radar and more than 60 small boats used by the IRGC to hit commercial shipping, the U.S. Centcom confirmed that it was going after the IRGC. Going after the IRGC should pay the biggest dividends goingj forward knowing that they’re responsible for violating the MOU that drives a potential long-term end to the war. As it stands now, Trump is forced to engage in nearly daily retaliatory strikes for the IRGC violating the MOU. Whether or not the Tehran-based mullah government backs the IRGC is hard to know. It’s difficult to tell whether Iran’s Tehran-based leaders back the IRGC’s attacks on commercial shipping in the the Hormuz Strait. No Arab Gulf State accepts Iran’s claim of sovereignty, demanding that Iran allow free passage of all commercisal ships. IRGC wants to charge commsercial ships transit fees for using the Hormuz Strait.
Coming out of NATO summit in Turkey, Trump finds it puzzling that the so-called NATO and EU allies don’t back his efforts to open up the Strait of Hormuz, but, more importantly, his peace plan to end the over four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. EU officials want Trump to return to globalism under former Presidents Barack OBama and Joe Biden, both engaged in collective action with Brussels. Trump’s America First foreign policy requires the U.S. to do first what important for U..S. foreign policy and national security, not what’s best for the EU or NATO. When it comes to the Iran snd Ukraine wars, you’d think the EU and NATO would do what’s best in their national intersest, keeping the free flow of oil in the Strait of Hormuz/. When it comes to Ukraine, the EU would be best served by spreading peace on the European Continent.
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.
