London [UK], April 9 : Jasmine El-Gamal, Former Pentagon Middle East advisor and CEO of Averos Strategies, on Thursday said that the US-Iran ceasefire deal is a great respite for the people in the West Asia region.
Gamal, in a conversation with ANI, said that the core demands of Iran and the US remain.
"I mean, this is a really important step, and it's a really welcome step. This war, over a month, has had a huge impact on people living in the Middle East, in Iran, in Lebanon, and in the Gulf. I mean, you've seen casualties and displacement and people killed and wounded. So obviously, this is a huge respite for people living in the region. I wanted to mention that first and foremost," she said.
She further said that the core demands of the US and Iran remain.
"From a strategic perspective, I'd like to just temper the news a little bit by stating that this is a temporary ceasefire and the core issues between the US, Israel, and Iran have not yet been addressed. And in fact, the two sides, when you look at their core demands, still are quite far away from each other," she said.
Gamal said that the real action begins now, as the peace talks will start.
"So the first step is the ceasefire, just to stop the violence and to turn down the temperature, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which will be a huge relief to global markets, of course, and ordinary households all over the world who've been affected by this. But the real work starts now. The two parties are set to meet in Pakistan on Friday, and we will see how the discussions will go from there," she said.
Gamal was asked if Iran's 10 points were workable, and she said that the demands were "maximalist".
"You used exactly the right word, maximalist. It is perfectly normal at the beginning of a negotiation, especially when both sides feel that they are coming out of this victorious. You know, Iran has been able to withstand US and Israeli attacks. It's been able to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. It's even been able to charge a fee for letting certain countries pass through. And so it feels empowered. And so it will be maximalist in its demands, but that's perfectly normal. That's the way negotiations start. That's why I'm saying this is a starting point, and the real hard work begins now," she said.
Gamal said that Iran is not likely to be allowed to maintain full control of the strait.
"Both sides, and I've been saying this for a while now, when this conflict ends, both sides are going to have to make concessions on their part. Iran is not likely to be allowed to maintain full control of the strait. At the same time, it won't get its demands of the US removing all its bases from the Middle East. The US may or may not get its full demand of zero enrichment. It may look like a different formula. So these are all the issues that are going to be discussed," she said.
Gamal said she hoped that the US could no longer impose and expect its own maximalist demands to be placed on the table.
"One thing I hope that both parties will learn, particularly the United States, based on past negotiations and what's happened in the last month plus, is that the US also can no longer impose and expect its own maximalist demands to be placed on the table. The US will also have to make concessions. One thing that this war has revealed so far is the limits of US military power and US hard power. Hard power alone can't get the US what it wants. And in fact, it could contribute to the destabilisation of the entire global economy. So I hope that's a lesson that US negotiators are taking into account," she said.
Meanwhile, Trump said that the US military deployments will remain in place around Iran until the "real agreement" reached is fully complied with.
"All US Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with. If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the "Shootin' Starts," bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.