Statements by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Iran continue to be contradictory and at times mutually exclusive. At times he hints at possible military action, while in other instances he claims that Tehran is ready for negotiations. This diplomatic “exchange of fire” raises many questions: what is Trump really aiming for, and what messages is he trying to convey to official Tehran? The current situation is commented on by Iran expert Pouya Hosseini.
According to him, Trump has pursued the same political line in different regions of the world: first, maximum pressure, and if resistance is encountered, retreat. This approach, Hosseini notes, was evident both in the rhetoric surrounding Greenland and in the confrontation with Iran.
The expert recalls that during the so-called “12-day war” with Iran, Trump made harsh statements, demanding that the Iranian authorities “raise their hands” and abandon their nuclear program. In practice, however, the United States limited itself to several symbolic strikes on specific targets, after which the pressure policy was eased.
“Today, Trump is using the same method: he seeks to exert maximum pressure, but if he encounters serious resistance, he retreats quite quickly,” Hosseini says. At the same time, he stresses that the current situation is extremely tense: a significant portion of U.S. military forces is concentrated around Iran, and developments may be unpredictable.
The expert also recalls a statement by Iran’s foreign minister, according to which Tehran is ready both for negotiations and for war. According to Hosseini, the sides are currently exchanging signals with one another, and the next phase will depend on how effective the negotiations prove to be.
“If the negotiations fail, Tehran has already warned that this time there will be no scenario of limited actions and proportional responses. In the event of an attack on Iran, the conflict could move beyond a local framework, engulf the entire region, and turn into a prolonged war.”