The US intelligence community has briefed President Donald Trump that bombing Iran is unlikely to change Tehran’s positions in negotiations to end the war.
Last week, the US resumed major military operations against Iran, including bombing civilian infrastructure. President Trump has repeatedly told the American people that the strikes are meant to force Tehran to comply with his demands.
However, the intelligence community has informed the President that his plan is dubious. The Washington Post reported speaking with multiple US intelligence officials who said that the CIA-led assessment concluded that the current strikes are unlikely to alter Iran’s position towards negotiations.
It added that Washington and Tehran are now locked in “an indefinite limbo between peace and war.” In June, the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding that established the conditions for a 60-day ceasefire and the framework for a deal to end the war.
However, Washington failed to uphold its commitments under the MOU, causing the fighting between the US and Iran to resume. Over the past week, Trump has bombed civilian targets in Iran and is threatening to expand strikes to Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran has responded to the American strikes by targeting similar infrastructure in Gulf Arab states aligned with the US. Additionally, Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz again.
On Thursday, an Iranian negotiator traveled to Pakistan for talks on reviving the MOU. However, President Trump said he had no interest in resuming talks with Tehran.
