CNN: President Donald Trump says the US and Iran remain in talks and that he believes Tehran is “getting more serious.” Earlier Friday, he met with top advisers and Cabinet officials to discuss a potential escalation if negotiations are not fruitful, a source told CNN.
Days of renewed strikes: A US bombing campaign against Iran has continued for 13 consecutive nights after their ceasefire agreement crumbled earlier this month. Trump has said Washington’s exit strategy for the conflict could come either diplomatically or militarily…
Iranian Threat to Air Force One Prompted Plane Swap During NATO Summit
President Trump abruptly switched aircraft when leaving Turkey this month after what officials judged to be a credible threat that Iranian proxy forces were targeting him and Air Force One, according to multiple people briefed on the matter…
Trump Meets With Top Advisers as He Weighs a Major Escalation in Iran
The White House did not divulge whether Mr. Trump determined how to proceed. But the president indicated that the military was ready to carry out heavier assaults if ordered to do so even while leaving open the door to a diplomatic solution.
“Look, we’re locked and loaded,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday afternoon. “We’re ready to go, but we’re talking to them, so maybe there will be, maybe there won’t be a tipping point.”.
He added: “Maybe they will cry uncle, or maybe they’ll just give up, or maybe they’ll just go into a cave and hide.”…
Iran’s New Leader Is More Open to Pursuing a Nuclear Weapon, U.S. Intelligence Says
His successor has never publicly called for Iran to build a nuclear weapon. But U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Mojtaba Khamenei and the harder-line government that emerged after the United States and Israel killed many of Iran’s previous leaders have ambitions to develop advanced nuclear weaponry…
Trump swings back toward diplomacy in escalating war with Iran
Six times during a 38-minute Oval Office appearance on Friday, the president mentioned that his envoys were talking to Iran. The rhetorical emphasis on diplomacy followed days in which he suggested that he was ready to increase military pressure on the Middle Eastern country…
The U.S. and Iran Are Stuck in a Cycle of Military Escalation
The challenge facing Washington and Tehran is that both governments have shown a willingness to escalate, but neither is capable of achieving a decisive advantage over the other. The stalemate heightens the risk that the U.S. and Iran could be drawn into further months of war as both sides attempt to generate leverage, military analysts say.
“There is an escalatory dynamic now,” said Alan Eyre, a former senior U.S. diplomat who participated in negotiations with Iran. “I don’t think the United States administration really has a clear strategic concept of what it is trying to do.”…
Pakistan, Iran explore path towards new talks with US in a China-initiated push, sources say
Pakistan is exploring a path towards a resumption of stalled U.S.-Iran talks over ending their nearly five-month-old war, three Pakistani sources said, following a push initiated by China.
Exploratory discussions took place during a visit by Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni to Islamabad this week — his second within the last 10 days, the sources said…
Opposing Defense Bill, Democrats Shift Their Tactics
The shift underscored the hardening partisan divide over the war with Iran and its elevation as an issue in the coming midterm campaigns. It also highlighted an evolution in the strategy of leading Democrats in Congress, who have become more responsive in recent months to pressure from voters to reject the status quo…