Trump was unusually quiet on Truth Social today but just tweeted out something about talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, calling for him to be fired.
The White House briefing is ongoing and Leavitt would not say that they are considering Iran’s proposal, but it is under discussion. That’s something but might just suggest that Trump’s security meeting hasn’t happened yet. She also said we will hear from Trump soon about Iran.
My guess is that means he hasn’t made a decision yet about what to do next.
It’s odd that both oil and stock markets are at the highs of the day. Brent was briefly up $4 but has since given a touch back. The S&P 500 is up 0.1% after trading lower for most of the day.
Leavitt did say the meeting with top security aides had taken place earlier and now perhaps Trump is considering it. Given that, you would think he would have better things to worry about than a talk show host
“I would just say that there was a discussion this morning that I don’t want to get ahead of, and you’ll hear directly from the Preside, I’m sure, on this topic,” she said.
She also said “The Presidents red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well.”
Given everything that both sides have said publicly, it’s tough to find common ground. At one point it looked like Iran would give up the nuclear for sanctions relief and unfrozen funds but with Hormuz control unclear and Iran sticking to talk on closing US bases and hardliners seemingly in charge, the calculus gets tougher. Iran also gains leverage from keeping Hormuz closed, though it’s not clear how long they can hold out with their own oil cut off.
What worried me today was a public criticism from Germany’s Merz about the US lacking an exit strategy. That makes me think the behind-the-scenes work hasn’t been fruitful.
