Trump has told Israel that he refuses to attack Iran or take out their nuclear program. Senior sources in the Trump administration say that they are planning to increase diplomatic pressure on Iran, but an attack is off the table for now. This comes as reports surface that Trump…
— Shaiel Ben-Ephraim (@academic_la) January 23, 2025
Big news.
If these reports turn out to be true, Steve Witkoff is being tapped to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran, which is a surprising twist given that it was Trump who tore up Obama’s Iran deal.
“President Trump is expected to give his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff responsibility over Iran diplomacy, according to two U.S. officials and two other sources with knowledge of the issue.
Why it matters: Trump’s intention to give the Iran file to Witkoff, the close confidant he tasked with pushing for a historic peace deal in the Middle East, signals that the president wants to try and get a new nuclear deal with Iran before considering other options, like military strikes.
Witkoff already helped secure a diplomatic win for Trump when he was involved in the final push for the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. Israeli and Qatari officials said Witkoff’s involvement was critical for concluding the deal.
Driving the news: The sources said Trump hadn’t made an official decision yet, but that’s where he’s headed. …”
Whether it is Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine or Iran, Trump seems to want these festering conflicts to just go away. Foreign affairs are a distraction from Trump’s domestic agenda.
FT:
“Donald Trump is to put his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in charge of addressing Washington’s concerns over Iran, suggesting the US president is willing to test diplomacy before ramping up pressure on Tehran, people familiar with the matter said.
Witkoff, a real estate investor who played a pivotal role in securing the Gaza ceasefire, is expected to spearhead efforts on Iran’s nuclear programme as part of a broader Trump remit to “stop the wars” in the region, the people said. …”
What changed?
Trump nearly plunged us into a war with Iran in his first term. Activists were certain that Trump is controlled by Zionists who are plotting a “war with Iran.” Instead, he extinguished the wars in Lebanon and Gaza and seems to want to settle accounts with Iran and Russia.
Back then, Trump wasn’t surrounded by Elon Musk and all the other tech broligarchs. Sheldon Adelson was his biggest donor. Bernie Marcus who is now dead was another one of his biggest donors. What these guys want is to create the Oz-like AI superintelligence.
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