Trump doesn't appear open to Iran's proposalwhich hinges on US naval blockade ending & nuclear issue being pushed to future negotiations (CNN).
First crude-laden Japanese tanker from Saudi portexits Hormuz Strait successfully without Iranian interference.
Iranian analyst describes that Tehranbelieves it can outlast Trump& the standoff with US in Hormuz, citing"munitions, markets, and the midterms."
Reporting from Monday evening and overnight says President Trump doesn't appear open to Iran's latest proposal to end the war, which hinges on the US naval blockade being lifted but pushes the nuclear issue off to later negotiations. As a result, oil prices have continued to rise,climbing above $110 a barrel Tuesday morning- a first in three weeks, amid concerns of a prolonged strait closure. As for the latest tankers to actually make it through, CBSdescribes:
Four civilian ships appeared to leave the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday without Iranian interference, including aJapanese oil tanker carrying some two million barrels of crude from Saudi Arabia.
The Panama-flagged crude oil tanker Idemitsu Maru called at Saudi Arabia's Juamyah industrial port in early March, according to open source data from the MarineTraffic ship tracking website. For the past week it had remained anchored off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf, until late Monday, when it sailed toward Iran's Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday morning, tracking datashowed the vessel passing south of Iran's Larak island, which analysts say the regime hadused as a "toll booth" to collect feesfrom some ships before military authorities declared the strait entirely closed again last week.
The White House has insisted that there would be no scheme for Iran collecting tolls as part of any future deal, but the Iranians appear to be forcing the issue, and have said the funds will help with the country's reconstruction after the devastation wrought by US-Israeli bombing raids.
Independent news organizationDrop Sitesays that Iran is now setting its own terms for ending the war as President Trump's narrative on negotiations flails. One Iranian analyst has said that Tehran believes it has thethree M's on its side:"munitions, markets, and the midterms."
The report cites Hassan Ahmadian, a well-known Iranian analyst and associate professor at the University of Tehran, who explains: "The Iranians are saying time is working in our favorfor the three Ms: munitions, markets, and the midterms. These three Ms help Iran in its position and weaken US positions."
Source: ZeroHedge News
