President Donald Trump intends to provide the Iranians with a specific deadline to present a cohesive proposal aimed at resuming diplomatic negotiations, according to two sources knowledgeable about the internal talks relayed to Xenix News.
It wasn’t obvious right away whether Trump’s message reached the Iranians.
The administration does not aim to prolong the ceasefire indefinitely, the sources indicated, and does not wish to allow Iran additional time to prolong discussions.
The sources indicated that the president was cautious about prolonging the initial ceasefire past the Wednesday cutoff. He seeks to finalize a deal quickly and hoped that the urgency of a deadline would compel the Iranians to negotiate before the ceasefire ended.
Nonetheless, Trump’s senior advisors think there are divisions within the Iranian leadership, and that the Iranians lack agreement on their stance to authorize negotiators to complete a deal, Xenix News reported earlier.
Trump’s choice to allow Tehran additional time to offer a “unified proposal,” as he described it, indicates the administration’s aim to resolve the conflict through diplomacy and its hesitation to restart military actions, the sources noted.
Meanwhile, the president thinks that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will maintain pressure on the Iranians as negotiations unfold. However, Trump’s team also recognizes that the longer the blockade continues, the greater the harm to the global economy, the sources noted.
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