Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
27 March 2026 | 12:55 CAT
3-minute read

Trump claims negotiations “going very well”; Iran rejecting proposal

President Donald Trump faces a significant foreign policy dilemma regarding Iran, marked by a 10-day delay (until April 6) of planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure.

Trump announced the 10-day extension yesterday, stating that he’d granted it at the request of the Iranian government. The President cited the release of 10 oil ships through the Strait of Hormuz as a “present” and a show of good faith from Tehran.

The administration, through special envoy Steve Witkoff, has presented a 15-point ceasefire proposal via Pakistani intermediaries. Trump claims talks are “going very well,” despite the fact that officials in Tehran publicly dismissed the US proposal as “one-sided and unfair” and have at times denied that direct negotiations are even taking place.

During this week’s Middle East Report, journalist James Dorsey said Trump might have bitten off more than he can chew.

“It’s evident in the back and forth of Trump’s messaging in recent days that he would like a negotiated end to the war. The problem is that the Iranians aren’t playing ball. In effect, what you have in terms of the exchanges, [is] motion without movement.”

Iran is reportedly demanding war reparations, guarantees against future attacks, and formal control over the Strait of Hormuz as part of any settlement.

If a deal is not reached by the new April 6 deadline, Trump has threatened to carry out a “period of energy plant destruction,” targeting Iran’s power grid and oil infrastructure.

As a result, Trump is being forced to escalate the war in order to get out of it.

“That escalation is going to focus on the Strait of Hormuz,” Dorsey warns.

The US is deploying over 2 000 additional Marines and sailors to the US Central Command area in the Middle East.

The force is designed to bolster security and act as a deterrent to Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical bottleneck for roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil supply.

“Thousands of Marines are not enough to occupy Iran, but they may be enough to either occupy part of the Iranian shoreline alongside the Strait of Hormuz or islands at the mouth of the strait,” Dorsey said.

Gulf states initially opposed the United States–Israel war on Iran, urging de-escalation and warning of the risks of regional spillover. For years, countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar had pushed for diplomatic solutions, fearing that direct conflict would expose their cities, infrastructure and energy exports to retaliation.

However, despite these concerns, the war went ahead, and Gulf states have since found themselves increasingly vulnerable, with Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting energy facilities and even urban areas across the region.

As the conflict enters its fourth week, there are no clear signs of internal fractures within Iran’s leadership, raising the prospect that any negotiated end to the war could leave Tehran politically strengthened. Analysts warn this would place Gulf states in a difficult position, as an emboldened Iran could increase its regional leverage while undermining the Gulf’s long-standing image as a zone of stability.

 At the same time, comparisons have emerged with the 1956 Suez Crisis, though key differences remain: unlike then, the United States is a direct combatant rather than an external power, meaning the outcome of the war — and whether it reshapes global power dynamics — will depend largely on how the conflict itself unfolds.

Watch the Middle East Report with James Dorsey on Sabaahul Muslim, hosted by Moulana Habib Bobat.