Iran has threatened to prepare itself for the production of a nuclear weapon.
In an elaborate statement, Iran has given the world its way forward, should the US resume the war it launched against it on February 28th.
It is clear Iran does not trust President Donald Trump’s apparent show of peace. Instead, it believes the US could resume its attacks at any time.
The continued presence of the US military around the Strait of Hormuz strengthens this position. Another factor is that the US sent more warships to the Gulf region even as it emphasized the need for a ceasefire,
If the US resumes its military attacks, Iran has warned, it will not just fight back militarily. It will resume its uranium enrichment program.
Also, it will build its uranium stock to the level where the country can produce a nuclear weapon on a moment’s notice. To be precise, Iran specifically said it will elevate its uranium levels to 90%.
Iran is not Ready to Give Up Management of the Hormuz.
According to the statement, attributed to the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran is not ready to relinquish management of the Strait of Hormuz.
Still, Iran clarified that its intention is for all countries to continue using the waterway for their commercial benefit as before.
Further, Iran has said it plans to be more vigilant about the Persian Gulf. It underlined the importance of the water mass as a uniting factor among the Gulf countries.
In the same statement, Iran blamed the US for putting some of Iran’s neighbors in a precarious situation. By that, Iran meant the countries that have given residence to US military assets.
Iran said it would like to maintain good relations with the 15 countries in its neighborhood. However, it decried the way the US has selfishly used some of those countries as its base to attack others.
It should be noted that the US was able to attack Iran so easily because of the military bases nearby, hosted by Gulf countries. Iran now demands that those Gulf countries either send the assets back to the owner or destroy them. Otherwise, Iran will consider those neighbors unfriendly.
This last threat targets countries such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Iraq, and Qatar. Qatar hosts the US Central Command (CENTCOM), whose troops number 10,000.
Donald Trump Has Killed any Hopes for Peace Talks.
Apparently, US President Donald Trump did not even complete reading through Iran’s proposed points of discussion. That list was presented by the mediator, Pakistan. Trump cast the list aside midway through, terming Iran’s proposals rubbish.
Donald Trump’s attitude toward Iran’s proposals for peace and Ayatollah Mojtaba’s strong position regarding Iran’s way forward leave the world with little room for optimism. Nothing the two leaders have said promises a definite end to the war between the US and Israel against Iran.
By extension, it means the world market has no basis for stability. It is now a wait-and-see situation. Even the 50+ countries that have formed a coalition of the willing, led by France and the UK, cannot act now.
The coalition, dominated by European countries, is committed to liaising with Iran to maintain sanity at the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over. This initiative aims to help resume normal commercial operations.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the US will manage to retain its military assets in the Gulf countries. Iran is particularly eager to see if its neighbors will reject their vulnerable positions by refusing to continue hosting US military assets.
The world also waits to see how the US plans to proceed regarding the war with Iran. With the apparent stalemate, markets are bound to remain volatile, which is bad for commerce and even worse for the world’s most vulnerable populations.