Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Iran is 'emboldened and confident' despite Trump threats, former US defence secretary says

thenationalnews.com · 2dShare

Iran's latest demands for opening the Strait of Hormuz show country's rulers feel emboldened by their position in the continuing war with the US, a former US defence secretary said. Mark Esper , who served as defence secretary from 2019 to 2020 during US President Donald Trump's first term, made the comments about Iran's confidence level during a Sunday appearance on ABC's This Week . “Clearly the Iranians have figured this out,” he said, referring to Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, which has been heavily disrupted as a vital shipping lane since shortly after US and Israeli strikes began against Iran at the end of February. “They are not reacting to these threats and they are taking very strategic positions with regard to this and you saw them over the last week put forward this Omani plan they're going to unveil at some point, but these demands raised last night show they're emboldened and they feel confident about their position in the world,” Mr Esper continued. He added that r

First report: Former Defense Secretary says Iran ‘emboldened’ by conflict, ignoring Trump threats — thehill.com, 2d