Trump turns down Iran truce, plans post-midterm strikes: WSJ

US President Donald Trump on Friday rejected a seven-day truce proposal from Iran conveyed through Qatari mediators, instructing aides to prepare for renewed military action once November’s midterm elections conclude, according to the Wall Street Journal. He maintains that sustained economic pressure will eventually force Tehran to accept Washington’s terms, the report noted.

Iranian negotiators floated the offer through intermediaries in Doha, proposing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear talks if Washington ended its naval blockade. US officials told Tehran and the mediators that the administration has no plan to lift the blockade, calculating that continued economic strain will compel Iran into an agreement on American terms, the report said.

Diplomatic deadlock

The newspaper noted that Trump has oscillated between diplomatic outreach and military pressure throughout the seven-month war. He has privately voiced doubt that Tehran will dismantle its nuclear program despite public claims that Iranian leaders seek a deal once elections pass.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has dismissed the new settlement terms and instead seeks a return to elements of a preliminary June accord, the Journal added. The elite force indicated readiness for a drawn-out conflict rather than acceptance of Washington’s demands.