(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lee Yoo-mi = The U.S. and Iran continue to negotiate the end of the war, which has lasted more than two months, but no clear breakthrough has been found so far on the 9th (local time).
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters the previous day that he expected to receive Iran's response to the U.S. proposal for the end of the war on the night of the 8th, but as of this afternoon, the two sides have not made an official statement.
Despite a series of recent armed conflicts in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. and Iran are focusing on negotiations, stating that the ceasefire is still maintained. However, analysts say that the unstable ceasefire is also continuing as the results of the negotiations have not been released.
In an interview with French media, President Trump reportedly repeatedly said he expected Iran's answer soon.
French LCI reporter Margot Haddad said on her X (X) account that President Trump said in a call with her that he "expects to hear from Iran very soon."
In addition, the reporter added that President Trump still said that Iran still desperately wants to reach a peace agreement with the United States.
It has not been confirmed yet whether President Trump has heard Iran's answer since then.
Iran has not made an official statement either. The official position that Iran has maintained so far is that it is considering a U.S. proposal.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagai said in an interview with Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency on the 6th that "Iran is still reviewing U.S. plans and proposals." He did not comment on the deadline or direction for an answer.
Considering the U.S. media reports so far, the U.S. and Iran appear to be discussing ways to declare an end to the war and then engage in 30-day negotiations for detailed agreements such as opening the Strait of Hormuz, limiting Iran's nuclear program, and lifting sanctions on Iran.
President Trump previously claimed in media interviews that the agreement with Iran would include taking out Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile to the United States and shutting down Iran's underground nuclear facilities.
Some analysts say that Iran may be trying to drag out U.S. concessions as much as possible by dragging its feet.
Unlike President Trump, who is scheduled to visit China on the 14th and 15th for the U.S.-China summit, there is not much incentive for Iran to hurry to accept the U.S. demand at a time when the ceasefire is already maintained.
In the meantime, President Trump posted a series of estimated AI (artificial intelligence) images that seemed to be militarily overpowering Iran through social media Truth Social.
First of all, along with the phrase '159 Iranian warships', the Obama and Biden administrations posted an image depicting Iranian warships floating on the sea as destroyed and sunk on the seabed during his time in power.
He also posted an image comparing Iranian drones to butterflies and the phrase "drons are falling like butterflies."
This is interpreted as an intention to raise the level of pressure on Iran, highlighting that Iran's naval and air force forces have been seriously damaged by the U.S. attack.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which has jurisdiction over U.S. forces in the Middle East, said it has returned 58 merchant ships and disabled four ships so far through a blockade on Iran that began on the 13th of last month.
Meanwhile, President Trump attended a LIV golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, later in the day.
yumi@yna.co.kr
Lee Yu-mi (yumi@yna.co.kr )
In the end, it seems the outcome of the war now hinges on Iran.
Trump’s diplomatic influence appears to have hit rock bottom, while Iran’s regime seems to have grown even more solid.
Even if everyone recognizes the mistakes, it feels like a situation that’s hard to fix.
All we can do is hope for wise judgment from Iran.