트럼프, 우방국 오만에 “방해하면 폭격”…출구 못찾는 전쟁에 ‘좌절감’

U.S. President Donald Trump demanded a "white flag of surrender" from Iran while refusing to set a timeline for peace negotiations. U.S. allies, the United Kingdom and France, threatened attacks if Iran obstructed the process. On the 17th (local time), Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News, "Iran must bow to the white flag."

He said, "I haven't set a timeline. I'm not rushing," and added, "They are great poker players, but they are dying." Iran has been the primary negotiator, and the U.S. military's airstrikes and blockade of the Hormuz Strait have put Iran under significant economic pressure. Trump tweeted through Truth Social during the interview, "The primary objective is, as it has always been and will continue to be, to prevent Iran from possessing any nuclear weapons by any means or method."

He mentioned military attacks as a possibility to the UK, which is negotiating Iran's role in managing the Hormuz Strait. Trump accused the UK of hindering the negotiations and threatened to launch strikes if they did. This was the day the 60-day negotiation deadline set by the June 2020 nuclear deal (MOU) expired. The two countries had aimed to achieve a final agreement covering Iran's nuclear program, sanctions, and the Hormuz Strait management during this period but failed to do so.

The current state is that both Trump's administration and the Iranian leadership acknowledge the deal has effectively expired. The New York Times (NYT) reported on Trump's comments, noting his frustration at failing to resolve a war he initiated but failed to complete. The NYT attributed this to the UK, which has been mediating the U.S.-Iran talks for years, as a source of disappointment.

Natalie Swanson, a representative of the Atlantic Council's Iran Strategy Project, said Trump's threats against the UK reflect the frustration of having no good options in a situation created by himself. He accused Trump of venting frustration and targeting the UK this time. The U.S.-Iran war that began in February 2020 with joint U.S. strikes has continued for nearly six months.

During this time, the U.S. claimed the war would last four to six weeks. U.S. military strikes reportedly caused significant damage to Iran's military capabilities, but Trump's administration has struggled to achieve its political objectives. The Atlantic Council's Defense and Foreign Policy Research Deputy, Justin Rowl, called the expiration of the MOU mostly symbolic but emphasized that the symbolism is significant.

The main function of the MOU was to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had effectively blocked as a choke point before the war. The unfortunate part, Rowl noted, is that the U.S. is reverting to the pre-war Middle Eastern situation by escalating tensions.