Trump delays threat to bomb Iran power sites, cites ‘very good, productive’ negotiations  

New York, March 23 (IANS) Saying that Iran and the US were having “very good and productive” negotiations, President Donald Trump walked back on his threat to bomb Iran’s power infrastructure by Monday night, and extended the deadline by five days.

Iran, which had previously said it was not seeking a ceasefire, has not reacted to Trump’s claims of negotiations.

Trump had warned on Saturday that he would “obliterate” Iran’s electricity system in 48 hours if Tehran did not open the Strait of Hormuz, an action that would have raised the conflict to new heights.

Iran responded that it would completely shut down the strait if its power grid was attacked and would retaliate against electricity system in the Gulf countries.

In an early morning post on Truth Social, Trump said, “I am pleased to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East”.

Future action would depend “on the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions”, he added.

Trump did not say with whom or how Washington was negotiating.

He had earlier said that the US did not know who was running Iran after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khameini, the country’s Supreme Leader, and several rungs of leadership.

The Ayatollah’s son Mojtaba Khameini, who succeeded him, has not been seen in public and is reportedly wounded.

After claiming that it would be short, swift action with the decapitating of Iran’s leadership and destroying its missile and the remaining nuclear infrastructure, Trump is facing a prolonged conflict that has led to attacks on his Gulf allies and a global energy crisis with the Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping.

With mid-term elections that would determine the control of Congress, Trump now seems to be seeking an off ramp to keep the conflict from spiraling out of his control.

He said last week that he was getting ready for “winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran”.

He did not mention regime change as a condition for it, a steep step away from his demand that he would have to approve Iran’s next Supreme Leader.

Israel has not indicated if it would go along with any Trump efforts to end the war.

Its military chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said almost simultaneously, "We are at the midway point, but the direction is clear".

He added, "We will continue to fight for our freedom and our future".

In an ominous development, Iran’s missiles pierced through the vaunted Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system to hit places in Dimon, where Israel has nuclear facilities.

Trump said on Monday that postponement of his threatening strike on Iran's power system was “based on the tenor and the tone of those in depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week”.

In an unusual confession, he has said that he was not aware of the geopolitical realities that included the Iran retaliation against the Gullf states.

The 40-kilometre-wide strait is a chokepoint on the route of 20 per cent of global energy supplies and the conflict there has led to sharp rise in oil prices, whose effects are felt as far away as petrol pumps in Washington.

The Trump administration took the extraordinary step of lifting some sanctions on Iranian oil purchases even while it was at war with it in a bid to tamp down the oil price spike.

Trump has threatened and cajoled other countries that rely on oil and gas transportation through the strait to secure the area, saying ultimately, “The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it”.

While letting through ships bound for some countries like India and China, Iran has threatened to stop others.

On Sunday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that his organisation and some others like South Korea, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Japan, which depend on the strait are trying to see how they can secure it.

--IANS

al/as