US President Donald Trump announced that “Operation Epic Fury”, the military aggression launched against Iran on February 28, “will be at an end” if Iran agrees to the terms proposed by his administration. In his Truth Social post on Wednesday, May 6, he went on to threaten Iran with the resumption of war:
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”
Before this announcement, Trump had declared on Tuesday that the US is halting the so-called “Project Freedom”. He claimed “great progress” has been made during the talks to end the war with Iran. The decision came merely two days after launching the plan for the US navy to escort ships across the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran had warned any such move would be considered a violation of the ceasefire and would be dealt with accordingly.
US forces tried to break Iran’s restrictions on Monday which led to small-scale clashes, with Iran firing on the US navy and some other commercial ships, forcing them to abandon the attempted transit.
In response, the US attacked two small Iranian civilian boats, killing at least five people.
A fire also broke out at the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah oil port, allegedly after its drones struck it, though Iran denied playing a role.
US proposals for a temporary deal
Various media organizations reported on Wednesday that the US has proposed a new one-page deal with Iran. The deal proposes Iran suspend its nuclear enrichment and both parties lift their restrictions on navigation in the Persian Gulf.
The US proposes to lift all sanctions against Iran and release billions of dollars of Iranian assets frozen in foreign accounts in return.
The deal can be modified based on the outcome of a final deal between the two parties at a later date. Iran is expected to reply to the proposal in the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also declared the end of the military campaign.
“The operation is over. Epic Fury, as the president notified the Congress, we are done with that stage of it.”
However, it is speculated that the declaration is merely the Trump administration’s attempt to sidestep Congressional authorization to continue any military hostility beyond 60 days.
Rubio also claimed that the US is now focusing its attempts on reopening the Strait of Hormuz for the free passage of commercial ships.
“Our preference is for these straits to be opened to the way they are supposed to be open, back to the way it was,” Rubio said.
An illegitimate war
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Wednesday in Beijing. The two countries discussed regional and bilateral issues, including the fate of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
This is Araghchi’s first visit to China since the beginning of the US-Israeli war in February.
During his meeting with Araghchi, Wang Yi reiterated his country’s position that the US-Israeli war on Iran was illegal and underlined the need for a comprehensive ceasefire.
Wang also reiterated the Chinese position on Iran’s nuclear program, underlining its support for Iran’s right to have a peaceful nuclear program.
Araghchi’s visit to China is crucial for various reasons. It is happening just days before Trump’s scheduled visit to China.
Trump has been accusing China of supporting Iran’s war efforts in various ways. He is expected to seek Chinese support in pressuring Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The US has already demanded China should stop blocking UN initiatives in opening the Strait of Hormuz, even asking it to join its efforts to open the strait.
China has not responded to any US invitation for joint efforts to open the strait, while maintaining that the peculiar situation in the Persian Gulf was a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran and its fate depends on the end of the war.
Last week, China blocked, for the first time, US sanctions on five of its refineries for buying Iranian crude, asking its companies to not recognize, implement or comply with them.
Last month, China and Russia had also vetoed a resolution in the UN security council condemning the Iranian restrictions on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and providing authorization for use of force against it.
The US introduced another similar resolution in the UN Security Council on Tuesday, demanding sanctions or even authorization to use force against Iran for failing to open the Strait of Hormuz.
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