Report: Iran seeks to exploit midterm elections to pressure Trump
According to a Wall Street Journal report citing an Iranian diplomatic source, the regime hopes that Donald Trump's desire for success ahead of the November elections will help extract concessions. Meanwhile, in talks with Oman, Iran continues to insist on its demand to collect transit fees for the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's leadership is interested in reaching a peace agreement with Washington before the US midterm elections in November, according to a report published this morning (Monday) in the Wall Street Journal, citing an Iranian diplomatic source. The source indicated that the Iranians believe the pressure on Donald Trump to secure a success ahead of the elections will create leverage to extract concessions during negotiations.
In recent days, the US has halted attacks on Iranian targets in an attempt to secure a ceasefire that would resume trade traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Mediators hope that a temporary agreement to cool tensions could lead to a comprehensive peace deal based on the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran approximately two months ago.
Simultaneously, talks between Iran and Oman are ongoing, aimed at easing tensions following a series of Iranian attacks throughout the Gulf in recent weeks. Senior Iranian officials were reportedly furious when Oman joined the US in presenting an alternative route to the Iranian-controlled path in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively preventing Iran from collecting transit fees from passing ships. Attacks on vessels using the Omani route triggered the retaliatory strikes conducted by the US against Iran over the past two weeks.
Omani representatives have proposed the establishment of a regional consortium to manage strait security, search and rescue operations, and other logistical issues. Sources close to the discussions suggest that Gulf nations have offered to fund the new entity. At this stage, no agreement has been reached, primarily due to Iran's insistence on collecting fees for passage through the strait.
US President Donald Trump spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday and confirmed that contacts with Iran have resumed:
"There is a good chance that something could happen, but if it happens, we will go back to what we did a few days ago."
Conversely, the Iranian Foreign Ministry claimed that the US and Iran have merely "exchanged messages," refusing to characterize the interactions as formal negotiations. Nevertheless, Iranian officials acknowledged that progress was made during discussions with Omani counterparts.
