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Trump Lays Out Terms For End To Iran War; Netanyahu Says Israel Will Continue to Attack Iran

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By Daily Caller. President Donald Trump on Monday outlined the conditions Iran would have to meet for Operation Epic Fury to end.

Trump announced Monday morning that talks had started between the United States and Iran, pausing a planned strike on Iranian power plants for five days. Trump spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to an event in Memphis.

“We’re looking for all of the things that we’ve been talking about,” Trump told reporters. “We want to see no nuclear bomb, no nuclear weapon, not even close to it, low-key on the missiles. We want to see peace in the Middle East. We want the nuclear dust, we’re going to want that, and I think we’re going to get that.”

“We’ve agreed to that, yes, we’ve agreed to that uranium … we want no enrichment, but we also want the enriched uranium,” Trump continued. “If this happens, it’s a great start for Iran to build itself back, and it’s everything that we want, and it’s also great for Israel and it’s great for the other Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, all of them, Kuwait and Bahrain in particular, so it’s great for all of them.”

Trump announced the start of Operation Epic Fury in a Feb. 28 post on Truth Social after negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program collapsed. Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, said in a March 2 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that Iranian diplomats declared the regime would keep enriching uranium and claimed to already possess enough material for nearly a dozen “dirty” weapons. (Read more from “Trump Lays Out Terms For End To Iran War” HERE)

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Netanyahu Says Israel Will Continue to Attack Iran Despite Trump’s Deescalation Post

By Mediaite. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will continue “smashing” Iran while the United States discusses a potential deal to end the war with what’s left of Iran’s leadership.

Netanyahu shared the update in a video post a few hours after President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran have held “PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS” on a potential end to “HOSTILITIES”; Trump also announced a temporary halt on his plan to bomb Iran’s power plants, which was set to start on Monday night if Iran did not meet his deadline to “FULLY OPEN” the Strait of Hormuz.

Netanyahu — in a brief video posted on X — said that he had spoken with “our friend” Trump on Monday, and that he believes there is “an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the U.S. military to realize the goals of the war through an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests.”

He then said Israel will continue to strike Iran — as well as Lebanon — while the sides negotiate.

“We are smashing the missile program and the nuclear program, and we continue to deal severe blows to Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said.

(Read more from “Netanyahu Says Israel Will Continue to Attack Iran Despite Trump’s Deescalation Post” HERE)

Trump Says ‘Good and Productive’ Talks with Iran Delivers Pause in Military Strikes

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President Donald Trump flagged a pause in strikes targeting Iran and its power generation capabilities on Monday morning, taking to social media to declare his hopes for a peaceful resolution to hostilities sooner rather than later.

Trump says the U.S. and Iran have held talks on the “complete and total resolution of hostilities” in the Middle East driven by Operation Epic Fury.

The president says that, as a result of the diplomatic exchanges, he has postponed threatened future strikes on Iranian power plants and infrastructure. . .

In a post on Truth Social all in capital letters he says:

“I AM PLEASE TO REPORT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

“BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP”

(Read more from “Trump Says ‘Good and Productive’ Talks with Iran Delivers Pause in Military Strikes” HERE)

Only Nuclear War can Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions, IAEA Chief says

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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Sunday warned that military strikes alone cannot eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, saying only extreme and unthinkable destruction would fully dismantle Tehran’s capabilities.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, said nuclear war is the only way to erase Iran’s nuclear program, just one day after Iran said its Natanz Nuclear Facility was hit in an airstrike.

“Anywhere, unless it was nuclear war and you go for destruction in an unfathomable way, which we hope, of course, will not be the case,” Grossi said when asked whether the war could end Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

On Saturday, following the airstrike on Natanz, Grossi called for military restraint to avoid a nuclear accident. Recent assessments have indicated damage, though no widespread radiation leaks have been reported.

Despite those attacks, Grossi stressed that Iran retains critical knowledge and technical capacity that cannot be eliminated through conventional military means. (Read more from “Only Nuclear War can Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions, IAEA Chief says” HERE)

Houthi Join the Fight, Threaten to Close Red Sea Straits

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Yemen’s Houthi movement has announced it is entering the escalating regional conflict on the side of Iran, warning it plans to target US naval assets in the Red Sea.

In a statement released by a representative of the group, the Iran-aligned movement said: “We will strike American ships in the Red Sea. This war is a fight for the entire Ummah.”

The declaration marks a further widening of tensions across the Middle East, as Iran’s network of regional allies signals a greater willingness to engage directly amid ongoing hostilities involving Israel, the US and Gulf states.

Tehran is keeping the threat of ordering Houthis to take up arms in reserve, say analysts, as they could close the access to the Red Sea and cut off all oil and gas produced in the Gulf from reaching international markets. Iranian officials told Tasnim News: if the US launches a military attack on Iran’s main export terminal on Kharg island, Iran will activate the Houthis to shut down the Bab al-Mandab Strait and block access to the Red Sea. Bab al-Mandab Strait — handles 10% of all global trade.

The US spent $1bn trying to stop Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping in 2024. and failed. Ships were forced to reroute around Africa and shippign costs went up 400% at that time. (Read more from “Houthi Join the Fight, Threaten to Close Red Sea Straits” HERE)

Father of Killed US Military Member Disputes Hegseth’s Claim He Said to ‘Finish’ the Job in Iran

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By The Guardian. The father of a US military member killed in the Iran war has contradicted Pete Hegseth’s claim that bereaved families urged him to “finish” the job in the Middle East.

Hegseth, the defense secretary and a former weekend Fox News host, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday that he had spoken with relatives of all six service members killed in last week’s refueling tanker crash during a “dignified transfer” of their remains at Delaware’s Dover air force station the night before.

“What I heard through tears, through hugs, through strength and through unbreakable resolve, was the same from family after family. They said, ‘Finish this. Honor their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done,’” Hegseth said.

However, on Thursday night, Charles Simmons, the father of Tech Sgt Tyler Simmons, 28, from Ohio, said he had no such conversation.

“I can’t speak for the other families. When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about,” he told NBC News. (Read more from “Father of Killed US Military Member Disputes Hegseth’s Claim He Said to ‘Finish’ the Job in Iran” HERE)

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Father of dead serviceman says he never told Hegseth to ‘finish the job’ in Iran: report

By The Independent. The father of a dead U.S. serviceman has denied claims by Pete Hegseth that he told the Defense Secretary to “not stop until the job is done” – referring to the war in Iran.

“No, I didn’t say anything along those lines,” Charles Simmons told NBC News in an interview Thursday, recalling his encounter with Hegseth at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. “I can’t speak for the other families. When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about.” . . .

Simmons told NBC that he had spoken to Hegseth and President Donald Trump, and that both men had treated him warmly. He had mostly spoken about his son’s impressive service record, he said.

The 60-year-old, from Columbus, Ohio, added he has “questions” about the conflict, which has now killed at least 13 American service members, and cannot draw “definitive conclusions when I don’t have all the data.”

Simmons said he told Hegseth: “I understand there’s a lot of peril that goes into making decisions like this, and I just certainly hope the decisions being made are necessary,” according to NBC. (Read more from “Father of dead serviceman says he never told Hegseth to ‘finish the job’ in Iran: report” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Trump Vows No Cease-Fire With Iran, Predicts Strait of Hormuz May ‘Open Itself’

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President Trump said Friday that he’s not interested in a potential cease-fire with Iran — and that he thinks the Strait of Hormuz could “open itself.”

“I don’t want to do a cease-fire. You know, you don’t do a cease-fire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” Trump said while leaving the White House, responding to a question about Pope Leo XIV calling for a cease-fire.

“From a military standpoint, all they’re doing is clogging up the strait. But from a military standpoint, they’re finished,” Trump said.

Iran’s closure of the strait for three weeks has caused a surge in oil prices — with Tehran vowing to use it as a strategic point of pressure against the US and Israel.

Trump told reporters that opening the strait would require a “simple military maneuver” before saying no action at all may be needed. (Read more from “Trump Vows No Cease-Fire With Iran, Predicts Strait of Hormuz May ‘Open Itself’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Defiant Iran Declares the World Is Now a Target

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Recreational and tourist sites worldwide will now be a target for Iran’s aggression and what remains of the Islamic state’s leadership further added Friday it is still building missiles.

The show of defiance singling out non-combatant civilian targets anywhere on the globe comes three weeks into U.S.-Israeli strikes that have eliminated a slew of Tehran’s top leaders and hammered its weapons and energy industries, AP reports.

The outlet detailed:

Iran’s top military spokesman warned Friday that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide won’t be safe for Tehran’s enemies.

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi made the threat as Iran continues to be hit by American and Israeli airstrikes. It renewed concerns that Iran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic in the war.

U.S. and Israeli leaders maintain weeks of strikes have decimated Iran’s military. (Read more from “Defiant Iran Declares the World Is Now a Target” HERE)

Iran Launches Ballistic Missiles at Critical UK-U.S. Strategic Airbase

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Iran attempted to strike Diego Garcia, the Indian Ocean island base critically enabling U.S. strikes, with a pair of ballistic missiles.

Tehran launched what is believed to be an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) for the first time in an apparent bid to take out the runway at Diego Garcia. The joint British-American base in the Indian Ocean is a critical fulcrum for Western power projection in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, supporting the largest and heaviest bomber missions as well as warships.

Broadcaster CNN claims to have been told by a U.S. defence source that the attempted attack took place on Friday, but that both missiles failed to find their targets and there was no damage or injuries. Britain’s Daily Telegraph states that one of the missiles spontaneously failed mid-flight, and the second was brought down by an interceptor missile fired by a warship.

Unlike cruise missiles, which reach their targets by flying on a relatively flat trajectory through the atmosphere and often hugging the ground to confound anti-missile defences, ballistic missiles fly up into the outer atmosphere or near space before plunging back to Earth. This flight path makes them harder to intercept and, if destroyed while returning to earth, can still spread wreckage travelling at extremely high speed onto and around the intended target. (Read more from “Iran Launches Ballistic Missiles at Critical UK-U.S. Strategic Airbase” HERE)

Trump Asks ‘Why Didn’t You Tell Me About Pearl Harbor’ When Japanese Reporter Brings Up Lack of Warning on Iran

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President Donald Trump on Thursday had a viral response for a Japanese reporter who asked why the United States did not give Japan advance warning of Operation Epic Fury.

During Trump’s bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae in the Oval Office, the reporter asked him, “Why didn’t you tell U.S. allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before attacking Iran?”

“One thing you don’t want to signal too much. You know, when we go in, we went in very hard. We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise,” he said. “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”

“You believe in surprise, I think much more so than us, and we had to surprise them, and we did,” Trump added. “And because of that surprise… in the first two days, we probably knocked out…much more than what we anticipated doing. If I go and tell everybody about it, there’s no longer a surprise.”

Moments earlier, Trump commended Japan for “stepping up to the plate” on Iran while taking a dig at North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries. (Read more from “Trump Asks ‘Why Didn’t You Tell Me About Pearl Harbor’ When Japanese Reporter Brings Up Lack of Warning on Iran” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Oman’s Foreign Minister Says War in Iran Is Trump’s ‘Greatest Miscalculation’ in Scathing Attack

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Oman’s foreign minister has said that the war in Iran is Donald Trump’s “greatest miscalculation” and urged Washington’s allies to push him to end the conflict immediately.

In the most scathing attack on Washington’s foreign policy yet by a Gulf state, Badr Albusaidi said “this is not America’s war” and criticised Mr Trump for supporting Israel.

Writing in The Economist, he called on American allies to help extricate the country from the conflict, which has continued for a third week despite failing to achieve the US and Israel’s stated aim of instigating regime change in Tehran or stopping its nuclear programme.

Since the war began, Iran has launched retaliatory attacks across the Gulf, most recently targeting oil and gas facilities – a development that shook global energy markets. Oman has been targeted on several occasions.

Mr Albusaidi said being drawn into the war was the “American administration’s greatest miscalculation” and implied that Israel didn’t have the right intentions for Iran. (Read more from “Oman’s Foreign Minister Says War in Iran Is Trump’s ‘Greatest Miscalculation’ in Scathing Attack” HERE)