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Trump, Hegseth, Iran
President Donald Trump said he is confident that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “has done a great job” as he discussed advice he received early on about Iran and a “point of no return.”
“What happened; Trump: If negotiations with Iran yield no results, I am ready for severe military action”
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Iran requested a meeting “through their surrogates and directly,” adding, “They want to meet, and we’re meeting.”
The Guardian reported that the US pause in hostilities followed a decision to give diplomacy “some room” while keeping readiness to resume hostilities, quoting US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Fox News.
In the same period, CNN reported that Iran said it is not currently engaging in peace talks with the United States and that it “will defend itself as its interests require.”
Debate over why talks
The Jerusalem Post said US officials told The New York Times that Trump did not escalate with Iran, fearing an extended war could deplete interceptor stockpiles after “three US soldiers were killed in Jordan after an Iranian missile got through American air defenses.”
The Jerusalem Post also quoted White House communications director Steven Cheung telling the NYT that Trump has been "consistent in saying he prefers a diplomatic solution, but he continues to retain all options if Iran continues terrorist activities in the Straight of Hormuz or against allies.”
DW reported that the pause revived hopes of returning to the negotiating table, while also citing analyses that pointed to pressures on Patriot interceptor stocks and other defense systems.
DW further reported that Axios said CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper recommended stopping the air campaign because it “largely exhausted” Iran’s ability to attack ships, and that the targets hit had been exhausted in most cases.
War, stockpiles, and stakes
The Daily Beast described Trump’s threats to bomb infrastructure in Iran, quoting him on Truth Social: “the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT.”
“CNN -- Iran announced on Monday that it is not currently engaging in peace talks with the United States, and that it 'will defend itself as its interests require,' after President Donald Trump halted the American bombing campaign following about two weeks of strikes”
The BBC reported that Trump said the United States ordered a halt to attacks “at the request of mediators and to give negotiations time,” while warning that “very severe military attacks on Iran will be resumed” if talks yield no results.
CNN reported that the Pentagon quietly changed its accounting for Iran war casualties, updating its database to add more than 140 wounded US service members and restoring the record of four soldiers killed last weekend.
In parallel, Reuters-Ipsos polling cited by خبر فوری said American public support for the war with Iran fell to 33 percent and that 69 percent of respondents said Donald Trump has not explained the aims of the U.S. military intervention in Iran transparently.
