On Monday evening, Trump convened his top national security team for a meeting on Iran-related issues, focusing on the potential future trajectory of war with Iran, the current status of diplomatic efforts, and various U.S. military plans for striking Iran. The meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was moved forward to Monday evening. Just hours before the meeting, Trump had announced a pause to what he claimed was an attack planned for Tuesday. Trump continues to assert that Iran has only a few days left to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough, stating the deadline is "a couple of days, possibly Friday or Saturday, early next week." Although Trump has repeatedly threatened military action during the ceasefire without following through, the fact that he listened to a briefing on military plans on Monday indicates he is seriously considering resuming hostilities. Some officials initially believed Trump would decide whether to strike Iran again at this meeting, but he chose to delay action—partly because several Gulf leaders expressed concern over Iran’s potential retaliation against their oil facilities and infrastructure, urging Trump to give Iran one more chance to negotiate. Vice President Vance, Rubio, Witkoff, Hegseth, General Dan Caine, Ratcliffe, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
On Tuesday, Trump issued another stern warning to Iran, but it remains unclear when talks between the U.S. and Iran might resume. Speaking to reporters, Trump said: “I hope we don’t have to go to war, but maybe we need to hit them again.” He stated he had not yet made a decision, but that “it’s just an hour away from making a decision to go to war.” He also claimed that Iranian leaders want to reach a deal.
In parallel, late Tuesday night, the United States seized a tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean. The vessel, named "Skywave," had been sanctioned by the U.S. in March for its involvement in transporting Iranian oil. Ship-tracking data shows the vessel sailed west of Malaysia after passing through the Strait of Malacca, and was intercepted en route back to the Middle East. It is currently unclear whether the ship had already offloaded cargo in Asia. This marks at least the third seizure of a tanker as part of U.S. efforts to disrupt Iran-linked “shadow fleets.”
Rubio spoke with UN Secretary-General António Guterres about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Both parties discussed U.S. efforts to prevent Iran from laying mines or imposing tolls in the strait, including a proposed UN Security Council resolution on the matter. Rubio emphasized that these efforts enjoy broad support among the majority of UN member states.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865678692994057/
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