With peace talks to end the Iran conflict at a critical juncture, the latest military exchanges between the US and Iran have the potential to wreck the entire process. Both sides in the talks have indicated that progress is being made in negotiations to end a conflict that began at the end of February when the US, acting together with Israel, launched a series of powerful strikes against Iran.
Pressure has mounted on both sides of the conflict to reach an agreement because of the impact on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that carries around 20% of the world’s energy needs. The Strait has, in effect, been closed to most commercial shipping for several weeks after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took control over the waterway, and sought to impose restrictions on shipping passing through the shipping channel.
The situation in the Gulf is further complicated by the US naval presence that the Trump administration has deployed to the area, with the aim of increasing the pressure on Iran to accept a peace deal.
Cautious optimism
Ongoing tensions over the Strait have resulted in a number of tit-for-tat military strikes between the US and Iran, complicating efforts to reach a peace deal. Nonetheless, both sides have been upbeat regarding progress made in negotiations, although a deal has yet to be reached.
US President Donald Trump has indicated that the final aspects of a peace deal could be announced “shortly”. This followed talks he held with a number of Gulf leaders, who reportedly expressed a desire to bring hostilities to a halt. For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s optimism, commenting that a potential deal to end the war could “take a few days.” Meanwhile, Iran also confirmed that some progress had been made in the talks with the US, although it did not echo Rubio’s confidence that a deal was imminent.
