Trump says Iran is heading toward ‘collapse,’ hopes Tehran sorts out leadership
President Trump said Tuesday that Iran was in a “state of collapse” as it hugged the Islamic republic by blockading its ports.
Mr. Trump said the pressure was forcing Iran to think about ways to reopen critical waterways and reach a unified peace proposal.
“Iran has just informed us that it is in a “state of collapse”. They want us to ‘open the Strait of Hormuz’ as soon as possible, while they try to figure out their leadership situation (which I think they will be able to do!),” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran has given no outward signs that it will comply with Mr. Trump’s demands. Instead, he taunted the American side on social media, insisting he has cards to play as the world suffers from oil shortages and Americans see rising prices at the pump.
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline stood at nearly $4.18 Tuesday, up from $4.11 the day before and about $3 a gallon at the start of the war, according to the AAA auto club.
The White House said Mr. Trump would stick to his “red lines” in assessing Iran’s latest offer: reopening the Strait of Hormuz if the United States abandons its blockade, and postponing discussions on Tehran’s nuclear program.
SEE ALSO: Oil prices climb again as US, Iran struggle to reach peace deal
The president told his advisers he was not satisfied with the offer, according to the New York Times.
Mr. Trump and Israel launched their military operation against Iran because they want officials in Tehran to abandon their nuclear ambitions and reduce their support for proxies of terrorism in the Middle East.
This month, the conflict shifted from a kinetic war to a battle of economic will, with both sides cutting off ports and roads.
European and Asian countries are pushing to end the war amid energy shortages.
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans go to Islamabad and then leave without any results,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told students in Germany on Monday. “An entire nation is being humiliated by Iran’s leaders, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. So I hope this ends as quickly as possible.”
