Iran will not commit to longer ceasefire; US assessment points to Khamenei as obstacle

Trump posted overnight about Iran’s economic collapse, claiming security forces are going unpaid and losses in Hormuz have reached ‘$500 million a day’; an IRGC-linked outlet warned the blockade means ‘continued war,’ while CNN said aides opposed easing pressure

The U.S. believes one reason the Iranian government has not delivered its response to the American proposal is the effort by Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader, to remain in hiding to avoid harm. That was reported overnight, between Tuesday and Wednesday, by CNN.

According to the report, the U.S. does not know whether Khamenei is issuing clear instructions or whether Iranian officials are being forced to “guess” what he wants without specific guidance. Despite that hurdle, the report said, U.S. officials still believe there is a chance of a meeting between teams from Washington and Tehran.

Trump said overnight in a post on his Truth Social platform that the Iranian government was deeply divided, which he said was unsurprising, and that at the request of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the U.S. had been asked to pause its strike on Iran until its leaders and representatives could present a unified proposal.

In Iran, state television reported that “Iran will not recognize the ceasefire announced by Trump, may not abide by it and will act in accordance with its national interests.” The Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, wrote that Tehran had not asked to extend the ceasefire and that, in practice, the continued naval blockade — a step announced by Trump — “means the continuation of the fighting.” Iran also made clear that it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz and that Tehran “will break the blockade by force if necessary.”

“Trump may claim the ceasefire has been extended, but then that same U.S. government, or Israel, will carry out terrorism,” the agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard said. “This possibility is being considered by Iranian officials. Iran is not dismissing it. Another possibility is that the U.S. will withdraw from the war and Israel will remain in it under the pretext of a ceasefire violation in Lebanon. The Americans have already been warned that the U.S. cannot unilaterally escape the war and leave Israel in the war.”

In another post overnight on his social media platform, the American president addressed the Strait of Hormuz, writing: “Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!). They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to “save face.” People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.’ But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!”

This morning, Trump added: “Iran is collapsing financially! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately- Starving for cash! Losing 500 Million Dollars a day. Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!”

In the post he published overnight, Trump avoided setting a new deadline for the Iranians, raising the possibility of a new waiting period — perhaps a very long one. Trump’s advisers, according to CNN, warned the president that easing pressure on Iran could allow it to drag out the negotiations. The Americans, the network reported, believed they could create a framework of understandings that would lead to more detailed talks in the coming weeks on the more sensitive issues. That approach, the report said, had its critics, who warned that Tehran could draw out the talks and play for time while using it to recover systems and missiles buried during the war.

As reported by Ynetnews