Conflicting claims on Washington’s Middle East objectives dampen hopes of de-escalation
Hopes for the de-escalation of the war on Iran were abruptly dampened after United States President Donald Trump said the fighting could last another three weeks despite claiming Washington’s core objectives were near “completion”.
Addressing the US on April 1, Trump doubled down and threatened to bomb Iran back to “the Stone Ages” even as he said the country had been “eviscerated” and was no longer a threat.
He called Iran the “bully of the Middle East” as he justified his ongoing war, saying it is an “investment for the children’s future and your grandchildren’s future”.
“The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage … they must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily,” Trump said.
“We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.
“So to those countries that can’t get fuel, many of which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, we had to do it ourselves,” he added, and suggested that they “buy oil from the United States”.
Trump also thanked US allies in the Middle East — namely Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain — which bore much of the collateral damage as he called on other countries to do more to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
Notably Oman, which had been involved in the negotiations before the Feb 28 strikes on Iran, was left out.
Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, told China Daily that Trump’s speech was directed at a domestic audience to justify the length of the war on Iran, the cause of the war on Iran, and the high prices of gasoline in the US.
Kamrava noted that nothing changed with Trump’s speech. The anticipation was that the president would announce either a land invasion of Iran or a de-escalation of the conflict, Kamrava said, “and he did neither”.
“The fact that he thanked Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar for the assistance in the US-Israeli war on Iran … only further justifies Iranian attacks on the Persian Gulf states,” Kamrava said.
He noted that Iran’s attacks on these US allies are part of the war as they have US military assistance and weaponry.
Kamrava said Trump’s speech only adds to the justification of what the Iranians are saying, such as the significant number of US military personnel and troops across the Persian Gulf, US bases being used in the war against Iran, and Iran’s claims that missiles are being fired at it from the UAE.
“All of these claims, by Iran, and now Trump’s admissions that the Persian Gulf states are helping the war effort, give Iranians added munitions to hit targets across the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain,” said Kamrava.
Trump’s address to the nation came hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed in a lengthy post on X that Iran harbors no “enmity” or “ill will” toward ordinary US citizens, Europeans, or its Gulf neighbors.
In response to Trump’s claims Tehran will agree to a deal within two to three weeks, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran “will not tolerate this vicious cycle of war, negotiations, ceasefire, and then repeating the same pattern,” Al Jazeera reported.
Baghaei said Iran will continue to fight back for as long as US-Israeli strikes continue, but reiterated that Tehran does not regard its Gulf neighbors as “enemies” and called the conflict “catastrophic not only for Iran, but for the entire region and beyond.”
“This is an unjust war that has been imposed on the Iranian people. We have no choice but to fight back strongly,” he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed its embrace of the Iranian community as “integral to its social fabric” amid reports that the UAE was barring some Iranians from entering and transiting in the country.
The UAE said it embraces the Iranian community that is respected and appreciated, forms part of its social fabric, and contributes to enhancing its diversity and openness.
“In light of the inaccurate media allegations circulating regarding the residency conditions of the Iranian community, the UAE reassures residents in the country that its institutional approach is based on solid foundations of procedures and frameworks adopted, in order to safeguard the safety and well-being of all members of society, without exception,” said the foreign ministry statement.
Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com