"Rather than discuss unconditional surrender or regime change, Trump compared the situation in Iran to Venezuela, where the regime stays in place, but the leader changes. But Liasson says Iran is very different from Venezuela, which is a small, weak country in the U.S.' backyard. She adds that the president didn't give answers when pressed about whether not pushing for regime change meant he was betraying his promise to give Iranians their freedom."
"Iran's biggest objective is currently survival, Liasson says. They want to make it uncomfortable for the U.S and Israel to continue the war. Iran wants the price of staying in the region to be high, and Liasson says this means they want to keep gas prices high. With U.S. oil prices nearing $4 per gallon, continuing the war could become increasingly more challenging for Trump."
"In Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun is pushing for direct negotiations with Israel and an end to the bombings. Aoun is seeking international support to equip the Lebanese Armed Forces in their efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group."
President Trump announced that the U.S. has begun striking Iranian drone facilities and missile production locations. At a press conference, Trump delivered mixed signals about the war's status, sometimes suggesting it was nearing its end and other times indicating otherwise. Rather than pursuing regime change, Trump compared Iran's situation to Venezuela, where leadership changes but the regime remains. However, analysts note Iran differs significantly from Venezuela as a more powerful regional actor. Iran's primary objective is survival and making continued U.S. and Israeli military engagement costly, including maintaining high oil prices. The campaign has reportedly killed over 1,200 Iranians and 500 Lebanese. Lebanese President Aoun is pursuing direct negotiations with Israel and international support to strengthen Lebanese Armed Forces against Hezbollah.
#us-iran-conflict #military-strikes #middle-east-tensions #oil-prices-and-geopolitics #lebanon-negotiations
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]