US President Donald Trump is ready to declare an end to the war with Iran even without a new nuclear agreement, if Tehran fully opens the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Wall Street Journal.
According to the newspaper, in recent weeks the White House has focused primarily on restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations on a broader agreement with Iran, including its nuclear program, proved too complex.
Trump has repeatedly stated that the strait is already fully open, but, as WSJ notes, these statements were premature.
According to the publication's sources, Trump believes that Iran's nuclear program has suffered such serious damage that Tehran will not be able to fully restore it during his presidential term.
The American president also expects that US intelligence will be able to detect Iran's attempts to rebuild destroyed facilities or secretly move toward creating nuclear weapons.
Additionally, Washington believes that the threat of new US strikes will deter Tehran.
The White House stated that the main US military objectives against Iran have been achieved. Now the administration's priority is to ensure stable transit of energy resources through the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington intends to retain the ability to conduct new military operations in case of Iranian attacks on ships.
On August 8, Iran announced additional demands for opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr said that the US must lift the naval blockade, withdraw troops from the region, lift sanctions against Iran, and pay compensation for damage caused during the conflict.
These conditions complicated Washington's plans to end the standoff.
"The Iranians fully believe that Trump wants to get out of the game and is focused on opening the strait, which is why they are playing hardball," Iran expert Gregory Brew from Eurasia Group told WSJ.