Iran ‘Prolongs Talks’ to Put Trump Under Pressure Ahead of US Elections

Darwin, October 21: Iran is prolonging negotiations with Washington in an attempt to politically weaken President Donald Trump ahead of the US midterm elections, according to a Reuters report citing senior Iranian officials.

Iranian officials fear that the United States and Israel could launch fresh attacks to break the stalemate in the eight-month-long war. As a result, Tehran is preparing for possible new strikes rather than rushing to reach an agreement. One official said Iran’s leadership does not want to hand Trump a political victory.

The US congressional midterm elections are scheduled for November 3. Trump’s popularity has declined as the war has driven up energy prices, with opinion polls indicating the potential political impact. According to Iranian analyst Saeed Laylaz, Iran is influencing the US elections by prolonging negotiations without taking any illegal action.

However, disagreements over the conditions for an agreement remain a major obstacle to negotiations between the two countries. Washington has insisted from the outset that discussions address Iran’s nuclear programme. Tehran, meanwhile, says its seven-day plan must be fulfilled before nuclear negotiations can begin.

In a proposal conveyed to the United States through Qatari mediation, Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days while seeking to retain control over the strategic waterway. In return, Tehran has demanded that Washington lift its naval blockade, ease restrictions on Iranian oil exports, release frozen Iranian assets, and end the war on all fronts. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the proposal remains on the table and that messages continue to be exchanged between the two sides through mediators.

Iran has lost trust in the United States following attacks that occurred at various stages of previous negotiations. Iranian officials say they remain deeply sceptical about whether any agreement reached with Washington would prove sustainable.

Meanwhile, the prolonged negotiations are further worsening Iran’s economic crisis. According to official Iranian statistics, annual inflation rose to 73.6 per cent in September. Since the United States reinstated its naval blockade in July, the Iranian rial has also lost approximately 35 per cent of its value against the US dollar.

Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said Iran’s leadership wants to inflict political damage on Trump. However, analysts believe that deep mistrust between the two countries has made it increasingly difficult to return to the situation that existed before the war began.

Source: Reuters