A FRAGILE MOMENT
It sounds less like a diplomatic breakthrough and more like a new front on the messaging war.
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Trump says he’s entered peace talks with Iran, but it’s too soon to celebrate. Here’s the latest.
A FRAGILE MOMENT
President Donald Trump is signaling to Americans that he found an off-ramp in his war with Iran.
After days of threatening strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, Trump abruptly announced Monday that the U.S. had held “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran and would postpone any planned attacks.
Markets rallied in response: oil prices fell, stocks surged, and analysts assumed the worst was over.
The truth may be more complicated.
The biggest challenge facing Trump’s supposed breakthrough is that Iran doesn’t seem to agree that one happened. Iranian officials publicly rejected the idea that they’ve had talks with the White House, instead alleging that Trump backed down amid pressure from allies and the financial markets.
It’s a fair criticism — gas prices are getting dangerously close to the “psychological mark” where consumers start driving less or choosing not to fill up their tanks.
Meanwhile, Israel is continuing to launch strikes on Iran, including against the regime’s infrastructure in Tehran.
So if Trump is presenting this as the beginning of the end, why is nobody else acting like it?
Part of the answer is that Trump, Iran, and Israel all have very different goals right now.
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