TRUMP CALLS IRAN LEADERS PRIVATELY “MUCH MORE REASONABLE.” THIS IS NEW AND SIGNIFICANT-He says Iran’s leaders “talk much differently when you’re at a meeting than they do to the press.
Iran War, Day 41. Here are the 10 latest updates you should probably know…
1. THE TALKS ARE HAPPENING TODAY — RIGHT NOW IN ISLAMABAD. AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING THE WRONG THING.
Asian markets are already moving on it.
– Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained over 1%,
– Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.5%,
– South Korea’s Kospi up 1.8%.
– Oil crept back up to nearly $98 a barrel.
Markets are pricing in hope, even as disagreements on Lebanon threaten to blow the whole thing up before it starts.
This is the most important room on the planet today.
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2. TRUMP CALLED IRAN LEADERS PRIVATELY “MUCH MORE REASONABLE.” THIS IS NEW AND SIGNIFICANT.
In a phone interview this morning, Trump said he was “very optimistic” a deal was reachable.
He said Iran’s leaders “talk much differently when you’re at a meeting than they do to the press.
They’re much more reasonable.”
Then he added: “They’re agreeing to all the things that they have to agree to.
Remember, they’ve been conquered. They have no military.”
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3. IRAN PUT SEA MINES IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. THIS WAS CONFIRMED TODAY.
Iran suggested it had placed sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz while offering alternative routes for the few ships currently transiting.
The British Navy has already deployed a specialized vessel, the RFA Lyme Bay fitted with mine-hunting drones to the strait.
This is not a ceasefire move. This is a leverage move.
Iran is saying to the negotiating table in Islamabad: we can make this waterway permanently dangerous long after the bombs stop.
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4. TRUMP PERSONALLY CALLED NETANYAHU AND ASKED HIM TO SCALE BACK LEBANON STRIKES. NETANYAHU’S ANSWER WAS EFFECTIVELY — NO.
Trump called Netanyahu and asked him to pull back on the Lebanon strikes to help ensure the success of the Islamabad negotiations.
A senior administration official confirmed this.
Netanyahu responded by saying Israel is seeking to open direct negotiations with Lebanon while simultaneously issuing fresh evacuation orders for Beirut.
So Israel’s answer to “please stop bombing” was “we’ll talk to Lebanon about stopping while we keep bombing.”
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5. IRAN-BACKED MILITIAS IN IRAQ ATTACKED US DIPLOMATS — DURING THE CEASEFIRE.
The US Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert confirming that Iran-aligned Iraqi militias conducted drone attacks near the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center and Baghdad International Airport warning US citizens to avoid air travel in Iraq entirely due to risks of missiles, drones and mortars.
The US summoned Iraq’s ambassador in Washington to express “strong condemnation,” telling the Iraqi government it had failed to prevent these attacks while some elements within the Iraqi government continue providing “political, financial, and operational cover” for the militias.
A ceasefire between the US and Iran.
And Iran’s proxy militias are still attacking American diplomats.
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6. IRAN’S IRGC CONFIRMED THE CEASEFIRE — BUT KEPT ITS “FINGERS ON THE TRIGGER.”
The IRGC issued a statement saying it would respect the two-week ceasefire but would remain “prepared to create an even greater epic should the enemy make another miscalculation.”
It added that it was “heeding the orders of the Supreme Commander,” the newly elected Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
The political leadership agreed to a pause. The military wing is saying it agreed to nothing permanent.
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7. IRAN’S OWN PRESIDENT WAS FIGHTING WITH THE IRGC OVER HOW THE WAR WAS BEING CONDUCTED.
This one didn’t make enough headlines.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly clashed directly with IRGC chief-commander Ahmad Vahidi over how the war was being conducted.
Pezeshkian warned that without a ceasefire, Iran’s economy could collapse within three to four weeks.
He criticized the IRGC’s attacks on neighboring countries and called for the restoration of executive powers to the civilian government.
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8. TRUMP BLASTED TUCKER CARLSON, ALEX JONES, AND CANDACE OWENS AS “NUT JOBS” FOR OPPOSING THE WAR.
Trump publicly attacked right-wing pundits who criticized the Iran war slamming Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Alex Jones, and Candace Owens as “stupid people” and “NUT JOBS” in a lengthy social media post.
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9. A SENIOR ADVISER TO IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER DIED FROM WOUNDS SUSTAINED IN THE WAR. CONFIRMED TODAY.
Kamal Kharazi, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has died after being injured in what Tehran said was a US-Israeli strike targeting his home earlier this month.
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10. THE DEATH TOLL AS OF TODAY.
The US-based rights group HRANA puts the total killed at nearly 3,400 — including more than 1,600 civilians.
– More than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon.
– 23 in Israel.
– 13 American service members killed in combat.
That is the number that should be at the top of every conversation happening in Islamabad today.
Not enrichment percentages. Not Hormuz tolls. Not geopolitical positioning.
3,400 people.
Today is the day we find out if that number stops growing or keeps climbing.
Watch the room.
My guess is, it’s not ending anytime soon.
The 2 sides are still far apart in their asks.
(Robert Kiyosaki: Author, Rich Dad Poor Dad)