WASHINGTON \u2013 The ball is in Tehran\u2019s court.<\/p>\n
President Trump is willing to give peace talks a chance but demands that Iran agree to a cease-fire, a US official told The Post, placing the next move squarely on Tehran.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the basis for any type of negotiation; it starts with a cease-fire, and it has to start with Iran,\u201d a US official told The Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Much of the difficulty in coming to a deal lies with Iran and its internal politics, where the Ayatollah\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is clashing with the civilian leaders.<\/p>\n
President Trump wants a cease-fire with Iran, but the ball\u2019s in Tehran\u2019s court AP Photo\/Alex Brandon<\/p>\n
On the civilian side, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have pursued a peace deal through diplomatic channels, but the IRGC has repeatedly gone rogue, launching military strikes and insisting on control of the Strait of Hormuz.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s incumbent on the Iranian leadership to get their house in order,\u201d the US official said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump has said he will give the peace talks time to come to fruition, but he\u2019s also been clear he will order decisive military action to counter moves by Tehran: a \u201chead for an eye\u201d approach as described by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n
Case in point: Iran was hit with a heavy wave of US strikes on Wednesday night<\/a> in retaliation for its attack on a US base in Jordan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe president has been very clear that he wants a deal done sooner rather than later. But if the Iranians are going to keep attacking ships, attacking US bases, attacking Gulf allies, then there will be a price to pay for that,\u201d the US official said.<\/p>\n While the US waits for Iran to show its willingness to stand down militarily, talks continue on both sides via technical teams and international mediators.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smoke rises in Tehran after US strikes Social Media via REUTERS<\/p>\n The goal of these talks would be a sort of Memorandum of\u00a0Understanding 2.0<\/a> \u2013 not quite the same as the first agreement but retaining some key elements. Trump continues to demand the Strait of Hormuz remains toll-free, opposing Iran and Oman charging fees for passage, the official said.<\/p>\n The IRGC, however,\u00a0 is showing no signs of backing down.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The IRGC \u201cwill punish the aggressor today,\u201d the group said, adding that countries aiding the US in the conflict would also \u201creceive a harsh response,\u201d according to Iranian state media.<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s surprise attack by the IRGC on Jordan<\/a> came as the US was standing down its own attack<\/a>s<\/a> in the hopes of jumpstarting the peace talks.<\/p>\n Supreme Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei\u2019s IRGC forces have gone rogue. ISNA\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n US defense missiles countered the Iranian attacks toward US forces but, still, CENTCOM hit back hard, striking targets across Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and defense sites.<\/p>\n The strikes were aimed at further degrading threats from Iran and its proxies to US forces, commercial shipping and neighboring Gulf states, the US military command said.<\/p>\n