Source : Perth Now news
Donald Trump is reportedly on the edge of history, as a former speaker of the US House says the president’s plan is within reach.
Newt Gingrich, a former Republican speaker of the house gave Mr Trump a major endorsement online overnight, as Iran hints at potential progress.
“After spending this week reviewing the Iranian war I am now convinced President Trump is on the edge of an historic victory,” Mr Gingrich wrote online.
“The real breakthrough for me came as I reviewed President Trump’s decisions and maneuvers not from the standpoint of American unilateralism but from the standpoint of the leader of a remarkable historic coalition, the largest coalition ever put together in the modern Middle East.
“Everyone understands that Israel is an important ally. What is little discussed is the depth of support from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.
“It has to be sobering for the Iranian dictatorship to realize that it does not have a single ally willing to challenge the American naval blockade. Slowly, gradually, timidly, our European allies are lining up to help with the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.”
Mr Gingrich said Mr Trump’s maneuvers against Iran “make sense once he is seen as a coalition leader and not just as a unilateral American President”.
The former speaker revealed that he has spent time in recent weeks reviewing kinetic strike options in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. He said if Mr Trump went ahead with those, it would bring devestation not seen since the Vietnam war.
He also warned if Mr Trump went ahead with brutal and lethal force, it would like shatter the coalition of Middle Eastern countries around Iran.
“I am as frustrated as everyone else by the pace of talking with the dictatorship but having reviewed the correlation of forces and the options available to the coalition on one side and the Iranian religiously motivated dictatorship on the other I am prepared to assert that President Trump’s coalition leadership (something almost none of his critics want to acknowledge) is within reach of an enormous historic victory,” Mr Gingrich added.
“If the Iranian dictatorship ultimately proves it is hopelessly committed to a suicidal position there will be plenty of time for a kinetic campaign of enormous power and effectiveness. Either way we are on the edge of an astonishing victory for our values and for a safer Middle East.”
The endorsement for Mr Trump’s tactics come as the US President reportedly returned a peace deal to Iran on Friday, seeking firming language around key agreement points.
Talks and message exchanges with the United States are ongoing, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has told state media.
We should not give importance to speculation and we can not judge the talks until we get to a clear result, Mr Araqchi added.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said earlier on Sunday that Iran would only sign a framework agreement with the US once concrete concessions – including the release of billions in frozen accounts – had been secured.
Mr Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator, reiterated during an online parliamentary session that Iran would not accept any agreement until there was certainty that the rights of the Iranian people were safeguarded, state news agency IRNA reported.
“We trust neither guarantees nor words – only actions count. No measures will be taken until the other side acts,” Ghalibaf said on Friday on X.
For days, the US and Iran have been wrangling over a framework agreement to extend the ceasefire in place since April 8 and to allow for further negotiations.
The Fars news agency, which is close to the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), reported that immediately after the signing of a provisional agreement, $US12 billion ($A17 billion) in frozen Iranian foreign accounts would have to be released.
Mr Ghalibaf, who on Sunday was sworn in as Iran’s re-elected Speaker, called on members of the 290-seat unicameral parliament to promote national unity, urging them to steer clear of “trivial political disputes”.
“In this new phase of the war, the enemy is attempting to foment divisions and destroy the country’s unity through economic pressure and media smear campaigns, in order to cover up its military defeat and force us to surrender,” Ghalibaf said.
with Reuters, DPA
