Over the course of nearly a month since the first US strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump has yo-yoed from demanding “unconditional surrender” to teasing a possible detente.
Confusion has become a mark of this war.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
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
After the 12-day war, both Netanyahu and Trump issued a series of statements declaring total victory. “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed — and anyone who says otherwise is spreading fake news,” Trump declared in an official White House statement on June 25, 2025. “In the 12 days of Operation Rising Lion we achieved a historic victory that will stand for generations. We removed two immediate existential threats: annihilation by nuclear bombs and annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles… We destroyed Iran’s missile production industry,” Netanyahu said in a special address on June 24, 2025.
These were false statements. After all, at the start of the current round, both Trump and Netanyahu said we are going out to destroy the nuclear facilities, the missile stockpiles and the missile production industry. In other words, we have returned to square one. For more than three weeks, the United States and Israel have been bombing Iran’s missile production industry — and it is reasonable to suspect it has not yet been destroyed.
Despite everything, it is now necessary to wait. The real test will be in the implementation of the conditions Trump outlined. Will the uranium indeed be transferred to the United States? Will ties with proxy forces be severed? Will the regime truly commit to halting missile production? And even if the answer is yes — at least on paper — when it comes to the Iranian regime, the very fact that it remains in power constitutes a victory. All other violations will come later.
Trump says talks with Iran progressing, as Israel said to fear premature ceasefire
Israel’s Channel 12 news reported Tuesday that the Trump administration has conveyed 15 conditions to Iran as its terms for ending the current war, which an Israeli official familiar with the matter later confirmed the details of to The Times of Israel, while expressing skepticism that Iran will agree to such a framework. The official also confirmed that Washington informed Jerusalem ahead of its negotiations with Tehran on ending hostilities, which began on Sunday, without specifying how far ahead of time.
Nonetheless, it said, Jerusalem is concerned that Trump and his team want to push quickly for “a framework agreement, an agreement in principle” with Iran, rather than insisting on these demands as a condition for halting the war.
“The scenario of a rapid, ambiguous agreement in principle is giving Israel’s political and security leaders sleepless nights,” Channel 12 reported, because it risks a situation in which the Iranians would essentially have emerged with the upper hand, with the conflict ending before the precise terms are agreed.
Regardless of Washington’s negotiations with Iran, US and Israeli officials told Channel 12 that they did not see the war ending or even pausing in the next two to three weeks, as reaching a deal is expected to take longer.
Iran has denied engaging in talks with the US, and officials familiar with the matter have clarified that what has taken place in recent days has been more of a passing along of messages through mediators.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
‘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.”
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
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
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
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."
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.
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