Trump takes a hard line at Cabinet meeting
“Still dissatisfied… If it doesn’t work out, negotiations end.”
After receiving warning shots from a U.S. oil tanker, it returned to port.
Attack on Iranian military base… Drone shooting down
Revolutionary Guards attack US Air Force base
Responsibility for the results lies with the aggressor.”
With three months to go before the start of the war, negotiations on ending the war between the United States and Iran, which had once expanded to the point of agreement, froze cold again in just one day. After sending a message of dissatisfaction with the terms of the negotiations and hinting at the possibility of ‘adjusting the pace’ of the negotiations, the United States and Iran eventually resumed military attacks against each other. On this day, local conflicts are recurring, raising concerns that the two countries may return to a strong-armed confrontation instead of negotiations.
According to a report by the U.S. CNN broadcast on the 27th (local time) citing an official’s announcement, the U.S. military carried out an airstrike targeting military bases in Iran that it judged to pose a threat to its own troops and commercial shipping navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The official, who requested anonymity, added that several Iranian drones that posed similar threats to U.S. forces were also intercepted and shot down. Prior to the U.S. military’s announcement, Iranian media reported that an explosion was heard in Bandar Abbas, a port city located in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian military responded. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it carried out a targeted strike at around 4:50 a.m. on the same day, targeting the US Air Force base, which is believed to be the source of the airstrike. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News reported that the IRGC Navy fired warning shots at a U.S. oil tanker attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without permission, forcing it to turn back, and that the U.S. military attacked early that day in response. The IRGC defined the U.S. military attack as an “invasion” and emphasized, “If this happens again, a more decisive response will follow, and the aggressor will be responsible for the results.” On the same day, a missile attack was detected in the airspace of Kuwait, where a U.S. military base is located, raising the possibility that the target of Iran’s attack was Kuwait.
According to AFP, the Kuwaiti military told X on this day, “Kuwait’s air defense network is currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks.” Kuwait is home to Ali al-Salem Air Base, a base for U.S. troops, and has been considered one of the most likely targets for Iran to attack in this war.
Previously, on the 25th, the U.S. military carried out a small-scale airstrike on an Iranian ship near the strait, but at the time, the U.S. military downplayed its significance, saying it was “an exercise of self-defense,” and the Iranian military did not immediately respond. However, this time, following the US attack on Iran’s key port that controls the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian military immediately launched a counterattack, rapidly increasing tensions again.
The previous negotiations have once again entered the fog. Both sides have been maintaining a close ceasefire since the 8th of last month, and as of last weekend, they have poured out messages saying that they are close to reaching an agreement on the end of the war. However, President Trump has since expressed his intention to adjust the pace, saying, “We will not rush to reach an agreement.” It was interpreted that the party changed its stance after hardliners in the Republican Party, its core supporters, criticized the previous draft of the memorandum of understanding (MOU), which included the Iranian nuclear issue as a subject for further discussion, saying the concessions were “excessive.”
President Trump is now even sending out a message that he is blatantly dissatisfied with the terms of the Iran deal. He said at a Cabinet meeting hosted at the White House that day, “So far, we have not reached a satisfactory level,” and “If we cannot reach an agreement, we will just have to finish the job.” He hinted that the previous negotiations may not continue.
The U.S. media has already speculated that the previous agreement may still be unclear due to President Trump’s recent change in attitude toward negotiations. It is said that President Trump turned to a hard-line policy when it was difficult to obtain results from Iran that would satisfy his country’s hardliners. The Washington Post (WP) also analyzed that the gap between the two sides in negotiations is still wide, saying, “President Trump and other administration officials claimed over the weekend that they were on the verge of an agreement to end the war, but there have been few signs in recent days that an agreement is imminent.”
In the end, with both countries taking military action side by side on this day, we have reached a point where we have to worry about whether negotiations can continue. The New York Times (NYT) pointed out, “Despite discussions about a potential agreement for the early reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as the confrontation between the United States and Iran intensifies this week, the chances of a quick diplomatic breakthrough appear dim.”
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