Trump should consider new attacks: plan would even include the use of ground troops

Such a move would be a “source of tension and disruption of long-term stability in the Persian Gulf,” Pezeshkian added. In view of the stalled negotiations with Iran, Trump is, according to US sources, considering a months-long blockade of Iranian ports. Trump hinted at the possibility at a meeting with oil industry officials, a senior White House official said Wednesday.

CENTCOM presents attack wave options

The commander of the US Middle East regional command CENTCOM, Brad Cooper, is expected to present Trump with options for a wave of attacks against Iran on Thursday. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Dan Caine, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are also expected to take part in the meeting. The President’s Office and CENTCOM have not yet commented on the report.

Trump is also expected to present a plan aimed at bringing part of the Strait of Hormuz under control. The strait is to be reopened to commercial shipping. Ground troops could be involved in such an operation. In addition, an operation by special forces to secure Iran’s stocks of highly enriched uranium could be discussed.

The administration in Washington hopes that these plans will make Iran more willing to compromise in negotiations over its nuclear program, the report said. Trump had described Iran’s nuclear program as an imminent threat. The government in Tehran denies that it is seeking nuclear weapons. However, it points to its right as a state party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including uranium enrichment.

US government considers new approach to Strait of Hormuz

Meanwhile, the US government is looking for a new approach to the Strait of Hormuz. A new coordination body should “facilitate cooperation between the United States and our allies in the Strait of Hormuz,” a senior government official told the German Press Agency.

Specifically, the “Maritime Freedom Construct” is intended to enable the exchange of information between the as yet unnamed allies and “to coordinate diplomatic and economic measures” in order to sanction Iran in the event of a further blockade of the strait. It was initially unclear exactly which countries would take part. Meanwhile, the US military should maintain the naval blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) said on Thursday that Iran was in an “economically catastrophic situation” and was “significantly defeated” militarily. That’s why the leadership in Tehran will “come to the negotiating table at some point.”

Iran’s leadership is determined

Meanwhile, the Iranian leadership increased its rhetoric in the conflict with the USA. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on

According to state broadcaster IRIB, Iran’s President Pezeshkian also made the comments in a telephone conversation with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Iran is ready to continue the diplomatic process and achieve a fair solution and regional peace. This requires an end to the “excessive demands and provocative measures of the USA”.

Earlier, a speech attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was read out on state television. On the occasion of Persian Gulf Day, it said, among other things: “Outsiders who come from thousands of kilometers away and cause trouble there have no place among us – except at the bottom of its waters.”

Persian Gulf Day is celebrated as a public holiday in Iran on Thursday. It commemorates annually joint campaigns between British and Persian forces, after which the Portuguese lost control of the island of Hormuz and surrounding regions in the 17th century.

Hegseth: The 60-day deadline for war does not apply to a ceasefire

According to Defense Minister Hegseth, the US government can continue the war against Iran for weeks without congressional approval. “We are currently in a ceasefire, which as we understand it means that the 60-day period (…) pauses or stops,” he told a Senate committee.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine had confronted Hegseth about the expiry of a deadline in the coming days during which a president can wage war without parliamentary consent. Hegseth did not respond to the question of whether Donald Trump would ask for a 30-day extension.

The background is the War Powers Resolution law from 1973, which limits military operations to a maximum of 60 days without congressional approval. If a president also wants to command combat operations by the US military, the formal approval of Parliament is required. This is intended to prevent the USA from being drawn into lengthy, illegitimate operations. There is nothing in the law about pausing the deadline in the event of a ceasefire.

At the end of the 60 days, Trump would theoretically be forced to withdraw US troops gradually. This would also apply to the naval forces and ships that are currently maintaining the US blockade of Iranian ports despite the ceasefire.

It is not clear when exactly this deadline expires in the current case. Trump briefed Parliament on March 2 after the war began on February 28. Depending on the calculation, the 60 days mentioned in the legal text could end on the night of April 30th to May 1st or on the night of May 1st to 2nd (00:00 a.m. local time, 6:00 a.m. in Germany).

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