A CIA analysis says Iran can withstand a US blockade of its ports and oil exports for at least four months, amid reports that Trump has grown 'bored' with the war
News Desk - The Cradle
Israeli leaders are reportedly trying to convince their counterparts in Washington that this is "the only practical way" to make progress in confronting Tehran and that this would force the country to enter negotiations from "a submissive position."
The channel quoted Israeli estimates that destroying Iran's energy infrastructure could be accomplished in just "24 hours of strategic bombing."
"If you are not going to topple the regime, at least leave it paralyzed," one Israeli official was quoted as saying.
Additionally, Israeli broadcaster Kan, citing an Israeli official, reported that US President Donald Trump is “inclined to resume fighting" and that the Pentagon "had made actual preparations to launch strikes on Iranian infrastructure, before the plan was ultimately canceled.”
The official added that Trump's reversal on resuming fighting "was not only due to pressure from some Gulf states, but also as a result of pressure from Jared Kushner and Steve Wittkopf, who believe it is possible to extract concessions from Iran through negotiations."
Trump has previously threatened to bomb and destroy Iran's energy infrastructure and commit genocide against its people.
In response, the Iranians warned that they would bomb all Israeli, US, and US-linked infrastructure in the Persian Gulf region if their vital energy facilities were targeted.
Saturday's reports from Israeli TV outlets come hours after The Atlantic cited several White House aides and senior officials who said that “President Trump really, really wants the war with Iran to end.”
“Trump is tired of the war, which has proved far more difficult and lasted far longer than he had expected,” the report says.
Amid rising gas prices and declining poll support, Trump is concerned about becoming entangled in a West Asian conflict similar to the one former president George W. Bush faced. "He is ready to move on," the US magazine stated.
Complicating matters for Trump, Iran has refused to return to the negotiating table, making it impossible for Trump to reach an agreement that he can claim as a victory.
While fighting has largely subsided, Iran continues to block passage through the Strait of Hormuz for Gulf oil exports, threatening to push US gasoline prices higher and cause a defeat for Trump's Republican party in this fall's mid-term elections.
Washington is still waiting for Iran to respond to Trump's latest offer, a one-page memorandum that seeks to extend the ceasefire.
“Trump never thought it would turn out like this. After the impressive military operation to snatch Nicolas Maduro from Caracas, the president set his eyes on Iran, telling confidants that it would be ‘another Venezuela,’” The Atlantic added, citing outside advisors to the president.
"Trump believed that the US military was unstoppable," and expected a victory against Iran to come "in days, a week or two at most." However, after two months of war, none of Trump's stated goals have been achieved.
One outside adviser, who speaks with Trump regularly, told the magazine that the president is "bored" with the war.
Amid the impasse, a US naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports remains in place in a bid to block Iranian oil exports to Asia.
However, a CIA assessment indicates Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure from the blockade for about another four months, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
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