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Trump’s timeline of ending war by Nov cause for head scratching
US President Donald Trump’s claim today that the war on Iran will end “immediately” after the US November midterm elections appears more of a hope than a realistic deadline, says Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at The Middle East Institute.
“My own reaction – and having looked at other reactions available to us – is one of essentially scratching our heads. What is the American president talking about?” Vatanka told Al Jazeera.
He added that it was difficult to rationalise the idea that Iran is just waiting on the November 3 congressional elections.
“In fact, what I think Iranians are waiting for is something that they can look at and say, diplomatically, ‘This was worthwhile’, which takes us to the substance of the disagreement – whether it is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, or the future of Iran’s nuclear programme,” he said.
“That will only change if negotiations are resumed. And the two sides can, perhaps, be willing to be able to find common ground. That’s how you get this war ended for good. Otherwise, I just can’t see how this conflict’s going to end.”
Vatanka said Trump’s latest assertion also suggests that he is hoping that renewed US sanctions and economic pressure will compel Iranians to give up, reports AL Jazeera.
“But again, that is just a hope, because nobody knows”, he said.