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US President Donald Trump signaled he would give diplomacy a chance before deciding whether to strike Iran, dialing back on recent comments that suggested military action could be imminent.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in a dictated message, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Iran maintained Friday it won’t negotiate with the US while an Israeli assault continues. The only way to end the imposed war is to “unconditionally stop” the enemy’s aggression, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday in a post on X.
Oil prices fell following a report from Reuters that Iran is ready to discuss limitations on nuclear enrichment, but will not consider stopping entirely. That puts the country’s leadership at odds with Trump, who has called for zero enrichment.
Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran a week ago, saying the threat of its sworn enemy acquiring nuclear weapons had to be neutralized. While that goal hasn’t been fully met, the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities have been degraded and a number of its top generals and atomic scientists have been killed. Iran has struck back at Israel with waves of ballistic missiles and drones, and there have been heavy casualties on both sides.
Trump, who is scheduled to attend a national security meeting in the Oval Office on Friday, has publicly mused for days about the US joining the fray. His latest stance signals a step back after a run of tough rhetoric, including demands for Tehran residents to relocate and threats toward Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his early departure from this week’s Group of Seven summit in Canada to return to Washington.
Today's show features:
- Dan Williams, Reporter for Bloomberg News Based in Jerusalem, on life in Israel given the Israel/Iran War
- Alex Vatanka, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute on life in Iran
- John Erath, Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation on Iran's nuclear ambitions
- and Peter Atwater, President of Financial Insyghts on the overall US macro environment
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