John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago professor, said in an interview Tuesday that President Donald Trump does not have a viable military option for a longer war with Iran,and said the Iranians have a clear advantage if the White House decides to go up the escalation ladder.
“I think it's in Iran's interest to prolong the war,” he toldJudge Andrew Napolitano's Judging Freedom. “If we go up the escalation ladder, it will work to Iran’s advantage over the long term.”
He noted that Trump has warned that the U.S. will use its air power to blow up power plants and bridges inside the country, but these strikes would lead to a major Iranian retaliation.
“They would retaliate by shutting the Red Sea, I believe, in addition to shutting down even further what’s coming out of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “And furthermore, I think that they would attack targets in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states,” which would have serious ramifications for the global economy.
Trump backed down again on Tuesday and took to Truth Social to announce that, based on a request from Pakistan, he will extend the ceasefire with Iran until its “seriously fractured” government can come up with a “unified proposal” for the U.S. to consider.
He assured the world that the blockade will stay right where it is and the U.S. military will be prepared to carry out its mission if needed.
Majid Mousavi, the IRGC aerospace commander, said after Trump’s announcement that if the U.S. commits “any act of aggression,” his forces will target wherever the people want them to,Press TV reported.
“Your children stood by the missile launchers for forty nights and days, exposing the arrogance of the global powers. And during the period of military silence (ceasefire), they remained vigilant, hands on the trigger, ready to defend this ancient land and its millennia-old civilization,” he said, according to the report.
Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad was put on hold Tuesday after the Iranians did not respond to the Trump administration’s positions to end the war – raising the risk that there will be no 11th-hour deal like earlier this month.
The New York Times,citing a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the situation, said Tehran is still considering whether to resume the talks, given that Washington is still enforcing a blockade outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: Trends in the News
