Robert Malley: The Heart of President Trump’s Frustration Is Opening the Strait of Hormuz

RUSH EXCERPT:

MALLEY: “Well, there’s what will need to happen and what at best will happen. I think the best one could expect at this point, maybe I’ll be wrong is a very, very bare bones deal in which the Strait of Hormuz is opened. In other words, the U.S. ends its blockade, Iran ends its closure. They they reached some kind of deal about how the strait is going to be governed. Obviously, Iran wants to play a bigger role than the U.S. seems prepared to accept, but they’re going to have to reach some kind of understanding, maybe some kind of economic relief for Iran and maybe some broad, general principles about how they’re going to deal with the nuclear program, which would then have to be negotiated over the next 60 days. But really, what we’re talking about now, and I think that’s at the heart of the president’s frstration. What we’re talking about now is undoing what the harm that the war caused. In other words, opening a strait that was not closed before the war began. That’s what the umain bone of this negotiation is about. All the rest at this point would be general principles, which could then have to be negotiated over a period of 30 to 60 days. But so we’re really not aiming for something particularly grandiose, but it would still be very important for the rest of the world if the Strait of Hormuz were reopened.”