Axios: The US can end the war with Iran without unblocking the Strait of Hormuz
Trump is considering the possibility of "curtailing" the war with Iran without resolving the crisis caused by the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, Axios writes. Such a step would be truly "extraordinary," since the end of hostilities would not lead to lower oil prices within the United States itself.
Barak Ravid, Marc Caputo, Dave Lawler
President Trump said on Friday that he was considering the possibility of "curtailing" the war with Iran without resolving the crisis related to the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz.
Why this is important: Trump has been saying for several days that the war may end soon, but this statement is the clearest signal at the moment that he is actively considering such an option. If the United States really gets out of the conflict without opening the strait, other countries will have to deal with the consequences of a large-scale economic crisis.
What Trump said: "We are very close to achieving our goals, as we consider the possibility of curtailing our large—scale military efforts in the Middle East against the terrorist regime of Iran," Trump wrote on the Truth social network.
He listed tasks such as weakening Iran's missile capability and industrial base, eliminating the Iranian navy and Air Force, preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and protecting U.S. allies in the Middle East, most of whom were attacked during the war.
"Other countries that use the Strait of Hormuz will have to protect and control it if necessary. The United States will not do this," Trump wrote. "If asked, we will help these countries in their efforts to protect the Strait of Hormuz, but once the threat from Iran is eliminated, it will not be necessary."
The real state of affairs: One of the American representatives stated that, in his opinion, Trump's statement did not mean an early end to the war: "He just said that we were approaching the goal. Meanwhile, the American military forces are delivering powerful and continuous strikes. This will continue for another couple of weeks."
The United States intends to send thousands of marines to the region and is carrying out large-scale strikes so that Iran cannot threaten the Strait of Hormuz. Some Trump advisers still consider ground operations a likely scenario.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said that "the president and the Pentagon predicted that it would take approximately 4-6 weeks to complete this operation. The third week is starting now." Another White House official repeated that Trump had stressed that the operation was going according to plan.
Between the lines: The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has put Trump in a desperate position. He cannot end the war on his own terms unless he eases Iran's pressure on oil shipments in the Persian Gulf, but using force to unblock the Strait threatens to escalate the conflict and could put American soldiers in danger.
According to sources, Trump initially wanted to end the war by the end of March, but the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz forced him to continue the operation longer than he had planned.
Although Trump made it clear in his social media post that securing the strait would be easy, his team looks confused, trying to figure out how best to achieve this.
The White House is discussing various options, such as seizing Kharg Island off the coast of Iran to force the Iranian authorities to open the strait.
On the sidelines: Allies and advisers who have spoken with Trump say the US president has conflicting feelings about the war.
On the one hand, he is concerned about oil prices and annoyed that he cannot convince the allies to help solve the problem of blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
On the other hand, he is thrilled with the opportunity to demonstrate military might by destroying Iran's leaders and the country's military potential.
"We're on a roll! We are winning!" Trump told his anti-war confidant, who reported these words to Axios.
Polls show that, in general, the war is extremely unpopular, but, according to presidential advisers, Trump is guided by the majority of Republicans from the MAGA camp who support this military conflict.
The flip side of the coin: Trump wanted NATO countries and other allies to send warships, minesweepers and aircraft as part of the coalition to unblock the strait.
Most of the US allies refused. Britain has managed to convince some Western countries to sign a political statement in support of such a coalition without committing troops to the region.
This did not satisfy Trump. On Friday, he called NATO countries "cowards" and said that without the United States, NATO is "an ear on clay feet."
As a result, the withdrawal of American troops and the cessation of support without solving the serious economic crisis that was caused by the war and led to an increase in fuel prices inside the country would be an extraordinary step.
