US President Donald Trump has been weighing the possibility of declaring victory against Iran without achieving a nuclear deal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials.
According to the officials, Trump privately floated the idea to his senior aides.
If the US can keep Iran’s nuclear program in check and traffic resumes in the Strait of Hormuz, then Trump would be more likely to extend the ceasefire “indefinitely,” the officials told WSJ.
The officials also expect the president will lift the US’s naval blockade on the Islamic Republic’s ports if Tehran fully reopens the strait.
Trump is “patient and expected to ride out the latest diplomatic snarl, especially so long as gas prices remain where they are,” WSJ cited officials as saying.
The US has “completed all of its military objectives against Iran,” and the president’s focus is “securing the flow of the world’s energy through the Strait of Hormuz and will keep military options on the table should Iran further target ships,” a White House official told WSJ.
This is a developing story.
