r/moderatepolitics • u/Agitated_Pudding7259 Federal worker fired without due process • 1d ago
News Article Iran stops negotiations with U.S., vows to 'completely' block Strait of Hormuz: State media
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/iran-us-negotiations-strait-of-hormuz.htmlThe article says Iran announced Monday it will cut off all negotiations with the U.S. and move to fully close the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli military operations in Lebanon as ceasefire violations. Tehran also threatened to activate the Bab el-Mandeb Strait chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Oil prices jumped over 7 percent on the news.
The breakdown comes just days after Trump convened a Situation Room meeting to decide on a deal but left without making a decision. Trump posted on May 23 that a peace deal was "largely negotiated" and "Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly." Both sides launched new attacks in the following days, and Israel escalated in Lebanon with Netanyahu ordering strikes on Hezbollah-controlled Beirut suburbs. Iran's foreign minister said the ceasefire applies to all fronts including Lebanon, and violations on one front constitute violations on all.
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively choked off since the war began on February 28, with ship traffic far below the prewar level of 100+ vessels per day. About a fifth of global oil supplies passed through the strait before the conflict. Gas prices had come down some in recent weeks on deal optimism, but that appears to be evaporating. There are also concerns Iran could impose a tolling system on ships transiting the strait.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran "really wants to make a deal" and told critics to "just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end. It always does!"
If Iran really wants to make a deal why are they walking away form negotiations? If the US is winning this war, why are we suing for peace?
The answer is because Iran's strategy is working. Our president and the "secretary of war" who was confirmed by one vote are not reliable sources of information.
They have been preparing for this war for decades and they know how to win it. Choking off a fifth of global oil supply has driven U.S. gas prices up 50%, cratered Trump's approval ratings, and Republicans are openly panicking about the midterms. They know the situation trump has created is FUBAR and they know they're cooked in november. Iran doesn't need to win on the battlefield. They just need to hold out and make the economic pain unsustainable until the administration comes to terms.
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u/shaymus14 1d ago
I'm not going to argue that this was a smart war or that things are going how the Trump administration wants them to, but in what world is Iran winning?
Their navy and air force have been significantly degraded. They don't have air superiority in their own country. It's been firmly established that the US and Israel can attack Iranian targets inside their borders and Iran can't stop them. Their neighbors are alienated. Their economy is in free fall, there's massive inflation in the country, millions have been laid off, and there are reportedly food and fuel shortages. Continued use of their best weapon, closure of the straight, would further alienate regional powers and likely lead to further blockade of Iranian shipping.
Even if Trump caves or this lasts till a Dem blowout in November, it's hard to see a scenario where the Iranian regime comes out of this is in a significantly strengthened position.