Russian media: The United States employs "divide and conquer tactics" against Iran

【Today’s Guide】U.S. President Trump announced that he would postpone for five days the strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure, a move aimed at easing pressure on the world oil market and creating divisions within Iran’s leadership.

U.S. President Trump announced that he would postpone for five days the strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure. At first glance, this appears to create an opportunity to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, but in reality it may also involve other purposes, such as easing pressure on the world oil market and sowing discord among Iran’s elites.

Military expert and retired Iraqi officer Saif Rad believes that Iran’s leadership is unlikely to make concessions to the United States, and the ideologically driven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is especially opposed.

Rad said, “Trump’s statement about postponing the strike can be seen as the last opportunity for the U.S. government to conduct diplomacy with Iran in the face of internal and external pressures. The U.S.’s ultimate goal is to achieve some result that can be presented as a victory.”

▲On March 23, Iranian rescue workers clear debris from a ruin caused by an airstrike in the northern part of Tehran. (Agence France-Presse)

Roman Yanushevsky, editor-in-chief of the Israeli Channel 9 website, believes that Trump’s statement about postponing strikes on Iran’s energy facilities could become a starting point for negotiations, but it is still too early to talk about a comprehensive resolution of the conflict, because even if negotiations in the coming days produce results, Israel will not agree to end the war.

Another goal for the United States may be to put pressure on Iran’s elite tier and intensify internal contradictions. By doing so, the U.S. government could make different factions within Iran’s leadership oppose each other and trigger debate, forcing some leaders to view dialogue as the only way to prevent the situation from worsening further.

Also, Stannislao Tkachenco, a professor at Saint Petersburg State University and an expert with the Valday International Debate Club, said: “The U.S. ultimatum has triggered an extremely negative reaction in world markets: oil prices surged while stock prices fell. Washington’s hardline stance on the issue of dialogue with Tehran has brought losses but no gains. Against this backdrop, the White House has decided to slightly adjust its position.”

However, this expert reminded people to focus on the United States’ military preparations. A U.S. naval task force led by the amphibious assault ship “Libya” is currently sailing toward the Arabian Sea, where it will prepare for possible actions against Iran. He emphasized: “Carrying out such redeployment just happens to take five days, which can also explain why the White House suddenly wants to pause this conflict.”

This article was published on March 24 by the Russian “Kommersant” website, originally titled “Pause and Opposition: Trump Tries to Split Iran’s Elite.”

A vast amount of information and precise interpretation—available in the Sina Finance app.