Less than two hours before the deadline set for Tehran earlier this week, President Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire. In exchange for Iran reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, he called off his promised attacks on Iranian bridges and power plants.
The ceasefire is essentially a "phase one" step toward a larger agreement, and peace talks are expected to continue in Islamabad this weekend. Navy Commander Kirk Lippold (Ret.) believes the pause benefits the United States.
"The two weeks that we are doing this gives us an opportunity to … do maintenance, to give the crews a little bit of a breath, to rearm, to refuel, to reload," he tells American Family News.
Meanwhile, he says we get to watch how the Iranians will violate the ceasefire agreement, which in his estimation is not a matter of if, but when.
"Iran is going to violate it, because they always do," Lippold asserts. "They always lie. They always look out for their own interests. They're already doing it right now by firing missiles into Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Middle Eastern countries."
Interviewed on “Washington Watch” about the ceasefire, U.S. Sen Lindsey Graham said he supports President Trump’s effort at a diplomatic solution. He bluntly warned that future peace involves negotiating with radical Islamists, who have lied to the West about their pursuit of nuclear weapons.
“I like the tactic that President Trump is taking. He'd like to end this well,” Graham said. “But it takes two to tango, and I'm very suspicious that Iran will ever do this.”
Graham described the current Islamic Republic of Iran as a nation run by fanatical Muslims, who want to “purify” Islam, which is why the Iranian people have suffered greatly after 47 years of murderous Islamic rule.
“If you think it's reasonable to want to make the entire world bend to your knee as a religion – they’re religious Nazis – that’s what they want,” Graham warned.
Regarding the plan released by Iran, Graham said it states the regime refuses to stop enriching uranium in pursuit of nuclear weapons. That pursuit of nuclear weapons is tied to the regime’s fanatical beliefs, the Senator said, and is why any negotiations will likely fall apart.
“At the end of the day here all I can say is that Trump, I think, understands the threat,” he concluded. “There is no good deal if they can enrich because they'll cheat again.”
Also, the Strait of Hormuz's control and access remain disputed, as Iran has only allowed limited traffic to resume.
Lippold thinks the U.S. should take advantage of this time by observing what Iran is putting into place to throttle and control the flow of oil through the Strait and by preparing for what is going to happen next.
"The main reason for a two-week ceasefire should be looked at as an opportunity for us to get ready for the next phase, to determine how Iran is going to prepare to violate the ceasefire agreement," Lippold reiterates.
