‘If Iran keeps its uranium, everything was for nothing’: Experts, officials react to Trump's pause

 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-891082

A five-day halt in strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, following what President Donald Trump described as “productive” talks, is fueling debate over whether pressure is easing too soon.

In Israel, the announcement was met with uncertainty about what the pause might actually lead to. Israeli lawmaker Ram Ben Barak of Yesh Atid, who served as deputy director of the Mossad and director general of the Intelligence Services and Strategic Affairs ministries, said the real test will be the terms of any agreement that emerges from it.

Speaking to The Media Line, he cautioned that ending the war while Iran still holds enriched uranium and continues to develop its missile program without meaningful limits would be a difficult outcome. “If the war ends with enriched uranium still in Iranian hands and their missile program not limited and supervised, then everything we did was for nothing,” he said. “It would be very, very disappointing.”

Those comments echo a wider concern in Israel that the gains made on the battlefield could be diluted if any agreement stops short of addressing Iran’s core capabilities. Ben Barak made clear he is not opposed to a deal in principle but stressed that its terms will be decisive. “In the end, every war has to end with an agreement; you don’t fight forever,” he said. “But the agreement has to reflect what we achieved up to now, and not give the Iranians something for nothing.”

Kushner’s fundraising GRIFT

Iranian source says US initiated ‘outreach’ to end war, as Israel and Tehran continue to trade strikes

 https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/iran-war-us-israel-trump-03-24-26

• US-Iran contact: An Iranian source told CNN there had been “outreach” between the United States and Tehran and that Iran is willing to listen to “sustainable” proposals to end the war. Other countries are pushing for a diplomatic solution, with Pakistan offering to host talks involving Iran, Israel and the US.

Knesset passes law expanding powers of Israel’s rabbinic courts to arbitrate civil matters

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-891046

Under the law, rabbinical courts may act as arbitrators only with the consent of all parties.

A law that will expand the power of rabbinic and Sharia courts in Israel and grant them authority to act as arbitrators in limited civil matters was passed in the Knesset plenum in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The Religious Courts Arbitration Bill, backed by the government, passed with 65 lawmakers in favor and 41 against.

The bill was debated for many hours late into Monday night before it was approved after strong objection from the opposition over claims it could undermine the state’s democratic character and harm women’s rights. Numerous objections were also raised to passing the controversial law during wartime.

It was decided to exclude from the scope of the law arbitration any criminal or administrative matters, as well as proceedings in which the state or a local authority was a party. Matters involving married or formerly married couples were also excluded.

Trump says peace talks progressing as Iran officials deny negotiations

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/24/us-iran-peace-talks-pakistan-turkey-egypt/

Officials from several governments knowledgeable about the diplomacy, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive negotiations, said the conversations so far were indirect through the mediators. Iran publicly insisted there were no direct or indirect conversations and it was uninterested in having them.

Noting that strikes from both sides are likely to continue “until negotiations can formally begin,” the former official said that “the expectation is to move from a phase of reciprocal military strikes to de-escalation, then to calm, followed by a complete end to the war and ultimately toward negotiations that yield positive and mutually satisfactory outcomes, ensuring that such a conflict does not recur.”

Israeli officials doubt Iran will accept Trump’s ‘surrender’ terms

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkxmcblowl#autoplay

Jerusalem closely monitoring talks amid doubts Iran will agree and fears Trump may compromise under pressure; fighting in Lebanon intensifying regardless of any deal

Israeli officials are expressing deep skepticism over the chances that U.S.-Iran negotiations will lead to an agreement to end the war, even as they continue to closely monitor the talks.

Officials said a U.S. proposal reportedly presented to Iran includes sweeping demands, such as curbs on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, removal of enriched uranium and an end to support for regional proxy groups.

There is concern in Israel that Trump may seek a deal to halt the fighting amid rising energy prices and domestic and international pressure, potentially compromising on some demands to secure a quick resolution.

Chances of US-Iran deal 'very small,' Israeli officials tell 'Post'

 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-891012

The chances of an agreement between the United States and Iran are “very small,” Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

The gap stems not only from US demands - including restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz - but also from Iranian demands.

“At the moment, the Iranians are insisting on American compensation, as well as guarantees from the administration that there will be no further action against Iran as part of any agreement,” two sources involved in mediation efforts told the Post.

Despite US President Donald Trump’s statements about progress in talks, a source familiar with the details said the deployment of American forces in the Middle East is continuing as usual.

4 people lightly hurt, buildings mangled as Iranian missile attack hits Tel Aviv

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-it-struck-islamic-guards-hq-in-tehran-man-lightly-wounded-as-iran-keeps-up-strikes/ 

An Iranian missile attack lightly injured four people and badly damaged property in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning after Israeli airstrikes struck multiple Islamic Republic regime sites overnight.

The attack on Tel Aviv was one of several salvos fired from Iran at Israel overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning targeting north, south and central Israel, sending millions repeatedly scrambling for bomb shelters. One person was also lightly wounded in a Haifa suburb.

The attacks came as US President Donald Trump announced his administration was engaged in talks to end the war that the US and Israel launched on the Islamic Republic on February 28 in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Tehran Strikes Tel Aviv Amid Diplomatic Push To End War

 https://www.newsweek.com/iran-war-live-tehran-strikes-tel-aviv-amid-diplomatic-push-to-end-war-11725250

At least four people have been injured in central Israel during Iranian strikes overnight, shortly after Tehran contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of ongoing talks as "fake news" and dampened hopes a quick end to the war could be in sight. Trump on Monday backed away from his threat to "obliterate" Iran's power plants by the end of the day as he hailed "very good" talks with Iranian officials, instead giving Tehran five days to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

Mohammed Qalibaf, the influential speaker of Iran's parliament, said "no negotiations have been held" with the U.S., and called Trump's comments "fake news."

Trump retreats on Iran and proves he’s worse than Nixon

How Trump suddenly embraced the idea of talking with Iran

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/23/politics/trump-shift-iran-talks

As President Donald Trump was departing Washington last week for Florida, ending the war with Iran appeared the last thing on his mind.

“You don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” he said Friday from the White House South Lawn before getting in his helicopter and flying away.

Three days, one ultimatum and — in his telling — a few conversations with amystery official in Tehran later, Trump had adopted a different view.

The change in US posture came after warnings from Gulf allies that the striking civilian power sites in Iran could lead to disastrous escalation, according to people familiar with the conversations. And the announcement of talks, made two hours before the open of US trading on Monday, resulted in a rally on Wall Street and a sharp slide in the price of Brent crude — both areas that had been causing heartburn for Trump and his advisers.

Who, exactly, is doing the talking — or even whether they were talking at all — instantly became a matter of dispute. Trump, who refused to name the Iranian interlocutor his envoys were engaging, provided few details beyond describing the official as “respected.” And even as the president was speaking, additional Marine units were heading toward the Middle East, fueling skepticism about how real the talks are.

Trump’s comments Monday were a departure for the president, who for weeks had shrugged off even the idea of restarting discussions with Tehran, suggesting the regime was neither serious about making the requisite concessions nor its leadership intact enough to act as a reliable negotiating partner.

Trump is folding on Iran as war goals still unmet and regime remains intact

 https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/r1w3c8yjbl

When it comes to the Iranian regime, the very fact that it remains in power constitutes a victory; Even if Trump did not intend to retreat, from the moment he entered the negotiations track, Iran found itself exactly where it wants to be 

We have had enough Chamberlains, Donald Trump himself said, mocking Europe’s weak leaders as he did what appeared to be the right thing. Contrary to claims, it was not Israel that persuaded Trump to take on the mission of defeating the head of the axis of evil in the Middle East. It was a decision made by the U.S. president himself. In almost every sense, he is not in Israel’s pocket — and in almost every sense, Israel is in his. Even on the issue of a ceasefire, Israel will do exactly what Trump dictates.

It may be a deception. It may be that Trump needs a few more days to prepare. It may be that he heeded Iranian threats to strike energy facilities across the Gulf and was forced to find a way to ease their concerns about devastation. But there is a fear that once again it will prove true: Iran never wins wars, but it never loses negotiations. It sought to shift the arena — and perhaps it has succeeded. So even if Trump did not intend to retreat, the moment he entered a negotiation track, Iran found itself exactly where it wanted to be.

In their game of chicken, Trump and Iran tap the brakes at last

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/23/trump-iran-war-negotiations-hormuz/

But a pause is not a peace, and the real victims are still waiting.

When bargaining about war and peace, the strategist Thomas Schelling wrote, you’re more likely to win concessions “if you get a reputation for being reckless, demanding, or unreliable.”

This game of chicken paused Monday morning, just hours before the expiration of Trump’s ultimatum to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants unless it agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump made a surprise announcement that he’d had “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.” He said he would delay the power plant strikes for five days.

Trump has made similar claims about negotiating breakthroughs before, only to reverse course and attack. He did that in late February, on the eve of this war, and back in June 2025 before the 12-day conflict. But an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that messages had been received through “friendly countries” seeking negotiations to end the war

That’s the problem with Trump’s way of war: You can’t bluff your way to a decisive victory. After Iran closed the strait, it became increasingly clear that Tehran had a potentially ruinous squeeze on the global economy. Trump has a high risk tolerance, until he reaches an unacceptable pain threshold.

Trump is ‘lying’ about talks with Iranians

 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5797061-trump-iran-war-crime/

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Monday that President Trump is “lying” about holding talks with Iranian officials. 

“We know he’s lying when he says that the Iranians are talking with us and they’re about to give Donald Trump everything he wants. Yes, that’s a lie,” Van Hollen told host Kasie Hunt on CNN’s “The Arena.”