U.S. officials told Al Jazeera they are in no hurry to respond to Iran's seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Paul Musgrave, associate professor of government at Georgetown University Qatar, believes President Trump would like lower oil and gasoline prices, but he also wants to show he's not in a rush. Trump doesn't want to end the war on conditions that could negate those benefits. The Israeli elections are also at play. The uncertain future of Israel's ruling coalition actually puts "more pressure on the war to continue" than on delaying the nuclear issue, or certainly not on withdrawing from Lebanon. If people believe Iran is actually trying to reach an agreement due to economic pressure, it's a signal to the U.S. that it's time to step on the accelerator and increase that pressure further.
