Ex-UK Ambassador To Iran Warns Situation Could 'Flip' Again After Trump U-Turn

A former UK ambassador to Iran warned the war in the Middle East could “flip just as quickly” again after Donald Trump declared a five-day pause in hostilities.

Over the weekend, the US president appeared to escalate the war by threatening to “obliterate” Iranian energy sites on Sunday – unless Tehran opened the major oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 hours.

But the president suddenly U-turned on his claim on Monday, after supposedly having “very good and productive” conversations with Iran.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said: “I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period.”

But former British ambassador to Iran, Nicholas Hopton, said this does not mean the war is over.

He told Times Radio: “The war has become clearly ill-conceived from its inception, the possible existence of an off-ramp now and the president’s willingness to retain the idea of negotiations with Iran must be seen as a positive.

“I’m afraid we could see this situation flip around just as quickly again by the end of the week.

“The president could be threatening again or even carrying out attacks on the oil infrastructure which, of course, the Iranians have said they will retaliate to by attacking the Gulf countries’ infrastructure by attacking oil production facilities and other infrastructure if the US carries out that.

“The Gulf countries have been pushing the White House very hard because that would be very difficult, almost existential in some ways, for their normal existence.”

Asked if Tehran will consider Trump’s U-turn a victory, Hopton said: “I think so. They are unlikely to say as much, the regime’s main objective is to survive.

“Of course, for the time being, it is surviving.”

In response to the president’s post, Iranian IRGC-affiliated news agency, Fars News Agency, quoted an unnamed Iranian source who said there had been “no direct or indirect contact with Trump”.

They claimed that upon “hearing our targets would include all power stations in West Asia, he backed down”.

But the president told reporters he was speaking to the “top person” in Iran – though that was not the supreme leader.

He told CNN: “A top person. Don’t forget: We’ve wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two, and largely phase three.

“But we’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader, you know it’s a little tough, they’ve wiped out – we’ve wiped out everybody.”

He added that he is not talking to the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Trump insisted that ending Iran’s nuclear programme is essential for any future agreement.

“We are very willing to make a deal. it’s got to be good deal and it’s got to be no more wars, no more nuclear weapons,” Trump told reporters.

“They’re not going to have nuclear weapons anymore. They’re agreeing to that. Any of that stuff, there is no deal.”

If there was no deal, he claimed “we will just keep bombing our little hearts out”.