Iran blames US for ceasefire failures

Iran has blamed the US for the failure of the ceasefire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan. In response, and in true toddler fashion, ‘President’ Trump threatened a naval blockade if “Iran wont bend”.

Iran’s Parliamentary ⁠Speaker, Mohammad ⁠Baqer Ghalibaf, said that Iran raised “forward-looking” initiatives during ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan, but the US failed to “gain the ‌trust” of the delegation.

US-Iran negotiations — Sticking points

The US framed the lack of a breakthrough mainly around Iran’s refusal to meet its core demand: a firm commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.

In an interview, Vance said that the US refuses to give up its demand that Iran has no right to Uranium enrichment.

Which is hilarious, given that two of the most powerful militaries in the world have spent nearly two months indiscriminately bombing Iran and threatening to nuke it.

However, Iran has consistently said it has no intentions of building nuclear weapons and its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes. Several experts have backed this up. One said:

There was no evidence that Iran was close to a nuclear weapon.

Iran has said that it is willing to negotiate limits on its nuclear activities if sanctions are removed.

In 2015, Washington and Tehran signed a nuclear deal under US President Barack Obama. This put a limit on Iran’s uranium enrichment at 3.67% in return for sanctions relief. However, Trump withdrew Washington from the deal three years later and slapped sanctions back on Iran.

Since then, Iran has accelerated its uranium enrichment to 60%. However, to make an atomic bomb, 90% enrichment is required.

Iran — The right to self-defence

Importantly, though, you don’t see the US or Israel threatening to nuke Russia, South Korea, or even the UK. Why? Because those countries also have nukes — it would be the ultimate self-destruct button.

Of course, Israel and the US do not want Iran to have the tools it needs to defend itself. That way, they can continue to threaten it.

The US also demanded that Iran hand over enriched uranium and open the Strait of Hormuz — without recognising Iran’s sovereignty over it.

But unfortunately for Vance, unlike with his wife, coercive control does not work on a self-reliant sovereign nation.

In response to the US’s unreasonable demands, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the importance of the US accepting Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.

He said:

The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.

According to a Turkish journalist in Pakistan, Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff nearly got into a physical altercation during the peace talks.

We all know Araghchi would have fucked him up badly. Both in a fight of fists and in a fight of words.

Araghchi has a PhD in philosophy and has been working in foreign policy for 37 years. He is also fluent in three languages. But Witkoff? He’s a real estate developer.

‘Naval Blockade’

In one of Trump’s standard Truth Social posts, he claimed that the US Navy would start blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Which Iran is already doing.

Is Trump going for a double blockade? Double negative makes a positive?

Or is he saving Iran the time and money and risking getting blown up in the process?

Toddler Trump added:

THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted. I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.

Previously, Trump threatened tariffs on practically every nation. The difference here is that the Strait of Hormuz is shared Iranian/Omani sovereign territory. They have the right to impose tariffs on its seas.

Plenty of other waterways have tariffs. For example, the Panama Canal charges ships to pass through, with the cost depending on the ship’s size.

Similarly, the Suez Canal collects tolls dependent on vessel type and size.

What has become clear in recent days is that Donald Trump wants control of the Strait of Hormuz. He previously suggested that the US may consider charging a toll across the Strait, which would require direct US military control over the strategic waterway.

Colonialism

This is colonialism in action. Masked as “ending disruption.” One which the US itself caused.

There would be no problem if the US and Israel hadn’t caused one. It’s not that hard to go about your daily life without feeling the need to murder Brown children. Get a hobby, read a book, build a LEGO set.

But this bullshit colonialist mindset is exactly why so many innocent people are being murdered in West Asia. The US and Israel bomb schoolgirls in Iran in an illegal and unprovoked attack. Iran defends itself and closes the Strait of Hormuz. The US wants to reopen the Strait and control it, which, by the way, would not be closed if it weren’t for its own actions.

Trump is a power-hungry terrorist who is willing to destroy the lives of Brown people just so he can feed his own ego.

Feature image via HG