Former US defence secretary Mark Esper has said Iran is now in an advantageous position in the war. He said Iranian leaders were confident about their negotiating position and the leverage gained through control of the Strait of Hormuz. Esper served as defence secretary during the first term of the Trump administration.
In an interview with the US broadcaster ABC News on Monday, Esper said Iran’s new conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring shipping to its pre-war state proved that Iranian leaders were confident about their position in talks and the leverage gained through control of the strait.
“This shows they believe they are in an advantageous position and that they are winning — and in fact they are winning. This is the situation we are now facing,” he said.
Esper added that the new conditions proved Iran had grown “bolder” and more confident about its place in the world. Tehran was projecting power by using its proxy forces in the region, he said. Elsewhere in his remarks, he spoke of the reduction in US stocks of some munitions during the Iran war, saying the Trump administration was trying to reduce the impact of the shortfall by boosting production, but that some weapons took a long time to make.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report