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Whitehouse crows
We have a new statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“This is a victory for the United States that President Trump and our incredible military made happen,” Ms Leavitt said.
“From the very beginning of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump estimated this would be a 4-6 week operation. Thanks to the unbelievable capabilities of our warriors, we have achieved and exceeded our core military objectives in 38 days.”
She said more details would be offered by War Secretary Pete Hegseth at a briefing tomorrow, US time.
Not true, incidentally, that Mr Trump always said the war would last “four to six weeks”. We got about half a dozen different estimates from him.
“The success of our military created maximum leverage, allowing President Trump and the team to engage in tough negotiations that have now created an opening for a diplomatic solution and long-term peace,” Ms Leavitt continued.
“Additionally, President Trump got the Strait of Hormuz reopened. Never underestimate President Trump’s ability to successfully advance America’s interests and broker peace.”
******That’s right, never let the truth get in the way of a Whitehouse boast.
Iran's eye-watering list of demands
We still don’t have much clarity around the “10-point proposal” from Iran that Donald Trump said was a “workable basis on which to negotiate”. A statement from Iran’s National Security Council has suggested it’s the same proposal Mr Trump rejected as “not good enough” a day ago.
Of course, the Iranian regime is chronically full of crap. We await the Americans’ explanation of exactly what the document in question includes. In his announcement on social media, Mr Trump claimed that “almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to”.
Not so, in the Iranian version of events.
The National Security Council identified most of the points in its proposal, including: “controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iranian armed forces, which would grant Iran a unique economic and geopolitical position”; the “withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases and deployment points in the region”; “the establishment of a safe transit protocol in the Strait of Hormuz in a way that guarantee’s Iran’s dominance”; “full payment of Iran’s damages according to estimates”; “the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions”; and “the release of all Iranian assets and properties frozen abroad”.
