It seems an odd time to suddenly pause for talks with Iran. The United States and Israel have the regime, or what's left of it, on the run. It's anybody's guess which side of the grass the new "Supreme Leader" is on. But as the old saying goes, "jaw, jaw" is better than "war, war," and it seems President Trump is seeing an opportunity here to pause for the former.
President Donald Trump paused planned U.S. strikes on Iran just hours before a self-imposed deadline, citing diplomatic progress that Tehran immediately denied, even as U.S. forces continued moving into position, a split signal that leaves the next move uncertain.
The move creates a narrow five-day window in which the administration is signaling diplomacy while preserving the ability to strike, raising the stakes for whether talks materialize — or whether the delay simply sets up near-term escalation.
There are arguments to be made for and against what was planned, that being a strike in Iran's electricity generation and infrastructure, not least of which being that any new Iranian government - that's the ideal outcome, a new Iranian government - will need that infrastructure to get a new Iran up and running as quickly as possible.
The abrupt shift follows a weekend ultimatum in which Trump warned the U.S. would begin targeting Iran’s power infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened, a threat that rattled global oil markets and heightened fears of imminent conflict.
By Monday morning, however, Trump announced a five-day delay, pointing to what he described as "very good and productive conversations" tied to a broader framework that includes nuclear disarmament.
Iran, however, denies any such conversation:
Iranian officials quickly rejected the claim that negotiations were underway, dismissing Trump’s comments as "psychological warfare" and accusing Washington of using the appearance of diplomacy to buy time.
Here's the thing: We've seen in recent days how the regime is coming apart at the seams. The "officials" President Trump is talking to may not be the same "officials" who are denying that talks are even taking place.
Read More: Report: Here's the Leader Trump Is Talking With - It's Not 'Cardboard Mojtaba'
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On the one hand, that's a good sign that the theocratic regime's collapse is still underway and may be accelerating. A new, democratic Iran may not be a stated goal of Operation Epic Fury, but it's sure one of the most desirable outcomes. On the other hand, there's a very real danger in a country that's known for promoting suicidal fanaticism, that still has some weapons, and more to the point, still has an unknown number of operatives in the field. That almost certainly includes some here in the United States.
There's an argument to be made for putting a quick end to this thing. The United States and Israel will never be in a better position to end the regime once and for all. Their military is a shambles. We're hitting them with A-10 Warthogs and Apache attack helicopters, which are only employed because Iran's air force is in ruins and their air-defense systems are badly degraded. Nobody in Iran seems to really know who's in charge.
The primary issue President Trump is (rightly) insisting on is that Iran give up, completely, its nuclear development program. That's the right goal, but without a new regime, it's an uncertain goal. If the mullahs remain in charge, nuclear development will continue. They will hide it, they will deny it, but they will keep trying to build a warhead.
Only a new, free Iran will ensure that no Iranian nuclear weapons will be built.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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