PORTALPEKALONGAN.COM – In the midst of an increasingly heated diplomatic deadlock, United States President Donald Trump is reportedly looking for a solution in the form of an agreement with Iran. This effort is seen by analysts as a step to “save face” with the domestic public after Uncle Sam’s country remains unable to lift the maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Failure of Military Pressure
Ali Akbar Dareini, an analyst from the Tehran-based Center for Strategic Studies, said that the coercive pressure strategy implemented by the US had reached a dead end. According to him, Trump was promised a narrative by the Israeli lobby that an attack on Iran would make Tehran surrender immediately.
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“Iran has not surrendered and will not surrender, not even in a million years. Trump failed in his attempt to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force,” Dareini said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Victory Narrative for Both Sides
While large-scale physical conflict is undesirable for both countries, the biggest challenge now is finding a formula for agreement that allows each leader to present a “victory narrative” to their people.
Samir Puri, visiting lecturer at King’s College London, explained that both the US and Iran are caught in political complexity. The US wants to avoid a deal that resembles Barack Obama’s JCPOA, which Trump often criticized as weak, while Iran remains adamant about maintaining authority over the Strait of Hormuz as their trump card.
The Role of Mediation and Middle Way
The resolution of these tensions requires a high degree of “the art of conflict mediation.” In this context, neighboring countries such as Pakistan are seen as having a big role in bridging the interests of the two parties.
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For Trump, reaching an agreement before embarking on another important international trip is a priority to maintain his image of diplomatic toughness. However, for Iran, maintaining control over the world’s strategic shipping lanes is a fixed price.
So far, there is no indication that an agreement will be reached soon. The international world is currently monitoring whether diplomacy will be able to dissolve the deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz, or whether tensions will continue without a clear winner.***
