After days of waiting, well beyond the 48 hours Trump expected, Iran presented its response to the US memorandum on the ceasefire in the Middle East. Tehran demands first of all the “immediate cessation of the war” and the “restoration of maritime security” in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. In short, no prior agreement on enriched uranium and the nuclear program with the US blockade still underway. Thus the tycoon’s hope of closing the Iranian chapter quickly and before his trip to China fades.
Tehran’s position
According to the latest US intelligence estimates, Tehran can still resist the US naval blockade for another 3-4 months. Enough, from the Iranian perspective, to obtain more favorable conditions than those provided for in the framework agreement of the US memorandum.
Unblocking Hormuz and stopping uranium enrichment: what is in the memorandum of understanding between the USA and Iran (which could have the bomb in a year)
The Iranian response is in fact a rejection of the US proposal. The plan “would have meant Tehran’s submission to Trump’s excessive demands,” Iranian state television reports Press TV. “The Iranian plan highlights the need for the United States to pay war reparations and reaffirms Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran reiterated the need for an end to sanctions and the release of assets and property seized from the country.”
The threats from Netanyahu and Trump
Tehran’s response has raised the level of international tension. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an interview with 60 minutesexplained that the war “is not over”. According to the prime minister, there is still a lot to do: “There is still nuclear material, enriched uranium that needs to be taken out of Iran, there are still enrichment sites that need to be dismantled, armed groups supported by Iran, ballistic missiles that they still want to produce.” Netanyahu finally added that Trump told him he wanted to “intervene” on Iranian territory.
That the US president was not satisfied with Tehran’s counterproposals was clear from his post on the social network Truth: “Iran continued to play with the United States and the rest of the world for 47 years, and then finally ‘got it big’ when Barack Hussein Obama became president (he refers to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by Obama in 2015 and then scrapped by Trump himself, ed.)”. The tycoon’s official response arrived shortly after: “I have just read the response of the so-called ‘Representatives’ of Iran. I don’t like it: totally unacceptable!”.
Trump then spoke on the TV program Full size where he explained that “the United States cannot allow Iran to possess atomic weapons.” And he reiterated that “we will take the enriched uranium. If anyone comes close, we will blow them up.”
Oil at 105 dollars
Oil prices began to rise again overnight following the statements of the President of the United States. On May 8, Brent had closed a few decimals above 100 dollars a barrel. Just before the Asian markets opened, oil prices shot up. When this article was written the price per barrel was around 105.93 dollars (+4.57 percent).