“Hypocrites and frauds”: Trump lost his patience – and in Tehran there were no debtors left

Just a few hours earlier, the American president stated that “a deal is just around the corner.” According to him, the emerging agreement will deal with ensuring freedom of navigation in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and will ultimately lead to Iran’s complete disarmament of nuclear weapons. These words came after he recalled that he canceled at the last minute military attacks on Iranian targets, which he claimed would have been “the biggest attacks since World War II”.

However, from checking the facts and the official statements, a different picture emerges: the only communication channel currently managed by Iran exists in front of the Principality of Oman. During the last week, the two countries held discussions in an attempt to formulate a new temporary shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz, isolated from Washington.

Beyond the public denials, the leadership in Tehran is losing interest in the US carrot and stick strategy. After a series of severe threats in the past, which included harsh rhetoric about annihilation and “the end of Iran”, senior officials in the Revolutionary Guards are now dismissing these threats. Internal sources in Iran quoted in the report estimate that the president’s conduct – characterized by threats of a severe war followed by sudden withdrawals and proposals for dialogue – only reinforces the feeling that he is reluctant to engage in a broad military confrontation and is mainly looking for pressure levers to the negotiating table.

Based on this assessment, the Iranian strategy became clear: absorb the pressure, and at the same time exact a heavy price from the United States through the proxy organizations. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, funded and armed by Tehran, continue to threaten international shipping lanes, while loyalist militias harass American forces in the region. Tehran believes that the continuous damage to the energy markets and the threat to the trade routes will lead Washington to the conclusion that there is no military solution to the conflict.

Meanwhile, the reality on the ground continues to stretch the limits of American capability. Tens of thousands of soldiers remain deployed throughout the Middle East in an explosive security reality that includes low-intensity clashes, which have resulted in casualties among the forces in recent months. Despite the campaign of pressures and attempts to isolate Iran, its leadership remained stable. Currently, the prevailing perception in the corridors of power in Tehran is that time is working in their favor.