How the Iran War Is Morphing Into a Volatile Standoff in the Strait of Hormuz
The conflict has morphed into a volatile standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, as the economic costs mount and President Trump faces a political backlash at home.
The conflict has morphed into a volatile standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, as the economic costs mount and President Trump faces a political backlash at home.
First of all, it isn’t dust. It’s Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium, which is stored in large canisters about the size of scuba tanks.
The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ushered in a new form of collective leadership in the country, with more power for the Revolutionary Guards.
A British naval agency said the two vessels had come under attack near the strait, as a U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports continued.
The United States has halted dollar shipments to Iraq’s cash-based economy in an effort to force the Baghdad government to distance itself from Iran. The money comes from Iraq’s oil revenues.
A decades-old law allows the president to wage war without congressional approval for 60 days, then limits his options for continuing. President Trump may seek to get around it.
Iran’s leaders believe that they can withstand an enduring standoff longer than President Trump. The strategy could be economically devastating for average Iranians.
President Trump has ridiculed President Barack Obama and the agreement, which he withdrew from during his first term. His critics say he could have avoided a war had he left it in place.
With the cease-fire on the verge of ending, President Trump said on Tuesday that he would keep it in place until Iran’s “proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
The Iranians are notoriously slow negotiators. Our reporter David E. Sanger explains what the history of U.S.-Iran negotiations could mean for the latest round of talks.