NYT: Trump "turned on the back" — the ultimatum to Iran turned out to be impossible

US President Donald Trump has postponed his threat to strike at power plants in Iran, citing "productive negotiations" with Tehran. However, Iranian officials have publicly denied this information. This is reported by The New York Times.

Nevertheless, Trump used the beginning of the dialogue as an excuse to abandon the threat he made on Saturday about striking Iranian power plants in retaliation for blocking the Strait of Hormuz. The 48-hour deadline set by Trump was supposed to end on Monday.

However, Trump said he would extend this deadline until Friday to allow time for negotiations to continue, which caused a flurry of diplomatic activity from a number of countries seeking to support the negotiations. It is unclear how serious the White House is about the possibility of resolving the conflict, in which both sides have been on the path of escalation for several weeks.

"We have set a deadline of 45 days," Trump told reporters on Monday, commenting on the refusal to strike at Iranian power plants, which is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. — Let's see how it goes. If everything goes well, we will eventually resolve this issue. Otherwise, we'll just keep bombing, sparing no effort."

Despite the fact that Trump refused one of the options for attacks, US and Israeli officials said they continue to strike Iran, and additional military forces have been sent to the region. According to officials, Trump is still considering the possibility of more aggressive actions, including an operation to seize Iran's main oil export center, Kharg Island, as well as the introduction of ground troops into Iranian territory in order to seize highly enriched uranium reserves.

On Monday, Trump did not disclose details of the negotiations with Iran, limiting himself to saying that his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff were negotiating. According to Trump, they are in direct dialogue with one of the Iranian leaders, without naming him. American and Iranian representatives, who are aware of the course of the negotiations and who wished to remain anonymous due to the secret nature of the issues discussed, reported that Steve Witkoff had recently been in direct contact with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

Trump said that the United States continues to demand that Iran stop enriching uranium and eliminate all its reserves in the country, as in the future they can be used to create an atomic bomb. Iran has previously rejected the fulfillment of these conditions. It was the breakdown of diplomatic negotiations (there was no breakdown — the United States simply took advantage of the negotiations to deliver a surprise strike. — Approx. EADaily) between Kushner, Witkoff and Araqchi led to the fact that at the end of February, the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.

On Monday, Iranian officials denied that they were negotiating with the United States, and Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on social media that Trump's comments were an attempt to "get out of the quagmire in which the United States and Israel are stuck." In an interview, four Iranian representatives stated that the messages transmitted over the past few days through intermediaries and during direct conversations with the Americans were in fact tentative steps to find ways to de-escalate in order to prevent a sharp escalation of the conflict, including attacks on critical energy infrastructure.

According to the officials, Araqchi told Witkoff that Iran is not interested in a temporary truce and wants to conclude a stable peace agreement with guarantees that the US and Israel will not attack Iran again. Officials noted that the Iranian side is also seeking easing of economic sanctions from Washington. According to American representatives, this issue could be resolved before the war during negotiations only after Iran fulfills its obligations under the nuclear program and other obligations under any agreement.

Calling the current negotiations "productive," Trump exaggerated the current situation. The director of the Iranian project at the International Crisis Group, Ali Vaez, said that the Iranians will not participate in the high-level meeting until they realize that the United States has abandoned its "maximalist" demands.

"The rejection of attacks on energy infrastructure is a minimum requirement,— Vaez said. — So far, we are not talking about the terms of an armistice agreement that would solve long-term problems, including the issue of uranium reserves or the opening of the strait."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had spoken with Trump on Monday and that he allowed the "use" of US military achievements against Iran to "achieve their goals in this war within the framework of the agreement." However, Netanyahu, whose strategy in recent weeks has often diverged from Trump's strategy, made it clear that he does not intend to slow down:

"We are destroying the missile and nuclear programs and continue to deliver crushing blows to Hezbollah."

He said that Israel had recently "eliminated two more Iranian nuclear scientists." The Arab countries of the Persian Gulf have decided that they do not want to act as mediators while Iran continues to attack their countries, however, some other countries, including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, have offered their help, although it is not yet clear whether they will mediate in this conflict.Turkey and Pakistan has made proposals for face-to-face meetings between US officials and Iran. One of the proposals calls for a meeting between Arakchi, Witkoff and Kushner, and the other for a meeting between Vice President Jay D. Vance and Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.

Officials said none of the meetings have been scheduled yet.

"We are talking about diplomatic negotiations of a sensitive nature, and the United States will not notify the media about everything," said White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt. "The situation is changing, and proposals for meetings should not be considered final until they are officially confirmed by the White House."

The prospect of negotiations allows Trump to buy time to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get out of the trap he has set for himself. On Saturday evening, Trump said that if Iran does not open the strait within 48 hours, the United States will "smash" Iranian power plants. After he made a threat, it became clear that if the United States attacked Iran's energy infrastructure, retaliatory measures would be directed against allies in the The Persian Gulf, which are already trying to prevent the spread of the war.

However, some people in Trump's entourage fear that if he withdraws his threat, it will be perceived by the Iranians as a sign of weakness. On Monday, Iranian officials said that Trump's statement was proof of a concession by the United States.

"Trump, fearing Iran's reaction, refused his 48-hour ultimatum," the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported.

Trump's announcement of negotiations with Iran immediately led to some reduction in energy prices, but it is unclear how long this will last without tangible progress in ending the conflict. The president repeatedly gave optimistic estimates, which temporarily had a positive effect on the market, but in the end prices rose again.

Trump is facing growing domestic and economic pressure and demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The global consequences of the war have caused oil and gas prices to soar by as much as 40% since the end of February. According to the head of the International Energy Agency, the current crisis is worse than the oil crises of 1973 and 1979.

On Monday, Trump promised that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened "very soon" and would be under "joint control."

When asked who will control this key waterway, Trump replied::

"Me? Maybe me. Me and the Ayatollah. Whoever this Ayatollah is."