WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is receiving criticism from both political opponents and supporters who warn he’s becoming trapped in a difficult position regarding the Iran conflict, a military engagement he initially described as a short operation that has now entered a prolonged stalemate.
Almost a week has passed since American and Iranian negotiators reached a preliminary deal to extend the current ceasefire by 60 days and begin fresh discussions about Iran’s nuclear activities, an agreement that needed Trump’s approval.
However, Trump has requested unspecified modifications to the deal, and Iranian leaders — possibly believing the Republican president is hesitant to resume bombing after depleting crucial weapons stockpiles — appear unwilling to accommodate additional requirements.
Recent strikes between the U.S. and Iran this week have sparked new worries that the ceasefire might fail. Trump minimized these concerns on Wednesday.
“It’s a different part of the world,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “You know, I’d say in that part of the world, a ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”
This uncertain situation comes after Trump has repeatedly claimed since the 14-day ceasefire began on April 7 — after 38 days of U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran — that an agreement is imminent and that Iranian leaders are desperate for a settlement. Trump suggested on Wednesday that something might materialize “over the weekend.”
Without a temporary agreement in place to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, worldwide energy costs continue to be high and are contributing to global concerns about the effects of increased expenses from the three-month war on food, fuel and other commodities.
Following multiple reports this week that Iran was ending discussions, Trump told CNBC he “couldn’t care less” if negotiations had stalled and even suggested they had become “boring.”
Growing worry exists within the administration and among key advisers and allies that Trump now faces a difficult situation, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the administration’s internal discussions, both of whom spoke to The Associated Press anonymously to discuss private conversations.
He’s caught between Democrats exploiting oil prices and warnings from hawkish supporters that an early withdrawal from the conflict would represent surrender.
Trump is privately receiving advice from other Republican lawmakers, Pentagon officials and Gulf allies that returning to the bombing strategy would be unwise.
Those recommending against resuming military operations point out that the U.S. has depleted ammunition too quickly. Restocking some essential weapons systems could require three years.
Meanwhile, Gulf allies worry that Iran will strike back against them and their vital infrastructure and energy assets, further damaging their economies.
Simultaneously, Trump has rejected accepting a deal that looks like the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by Democrat Barack Obama’s administration, which limited Iran’s nuclear program in return for removing international economic sanctions.
During his first presidency, Trump withdrew from the agreement, claiming it failed to permanently halt Iran’s nuclear program, ignored Iran’s ballistic missile development, and didn’t punish Iran for backing militant proxy groups throughout the Middle East.
Currently, Trump, according to those aware of internal discussions, has expressed strong feelings that he cannot make “a bad deal” and is very conscious that he’s at a critical moment where he risks damaging his legacy if he makes an error.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly rejected the idea that Trump has been cornered or that there’s any worry within the administration about the negotiation timeline.
“These mysterious so-called ‘administration officials’ have no idea what they’re talking about — those actually involved in sensitive discussions know to trust in President Trump, who will always do what is best for U.S. national security,” Kelly said in a statement.
Israeli and hawkish allies in Washington have argued to Trump that a deal now would represent unconditional surrender, encouraging him to increase economic pressure on Iran and support Israel’s assault on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
However, Trump earlier this week in a tense call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel to stop, and on Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon announced they agreed to extend a ceasefire. Hezbollah was not involved in the Israel-Lebanon discussions, which have occurred at the ambassadorial level in Washington since early last month.
Staying in the current situation with Tehran — neither fully resuming fighting nor completing an interim agreement to restart nuclear discussions — is a circumstance that Iran seems better positioned to use, argues Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the hawkish Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Despite being the weaker side, Iran appears to be calculating that the longer the stalemate continues, the better their chances of “boxing in” Trump, he added.
“Either way, Tehran appears more resolute than ever to not provide Trump with a victory image, hence why it isn’t budging on the battlefield or negotiating table,” Taleblu said.
Meanwhile, Democrats are attempting to benefit from Trump’s management of the unpopular war before November’s midterm elections. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed for the first time a symbolic resolution demanding a stop to military action against Iran, with four Republican lawmakers joining Democrats in criticizing Trump’s war.
During extensive hearings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Democrats attacked Trump for dismissing the economic effects of the conflict on Americans and for failing to predict that Iran would close the Strait.
In one heated exchange, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker cited the unstable ceasefire as evidence that Iran holds the advantage.
“We are the strongest nation on the planet Earth, and we’re in a stalemate with Iran,” Booker said. “And now we’re begging to get back into a deal that you all trashed in the first place.”
Rubio rejected the criticism, emphasizing that Iran has been put at a disadvantage with the strikes that eliminated multiple levels of senior leadership and devastated Iran’s economy.
“There’s no one begging,” Rubio responded. “I don’t know where you’re getting this perception that Iran is stronger.”
Another Democrat, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, focused on Trump’s comments last month that voter concerns about living costs were “not even a little bit” of a motivating factor for him to reach a deal to end the war.
The president continues to minimize the rising costs for Americans at gas stations and predict that fuel prices would drop dramatically after the conflict concludes.
Christopher Borick, the director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania, said that Democrats campaigning in competitive districts nationwide are already focusing on Trump’s statements about the war’s impact on Americans’ finances.
“There’s significant risk in having this thing drag on for Republicans,” Borick said. “It’s certainly going to hurt if Trump ends up in a place where the war ends and Iran’s nuclear program is in the same place. But for Republicans in some of these tough swing districts, there’s a case to be made to rip the bandage off now, get some easing in the oil markets and hope there’s enough time for voters to turn the page.”
