Changes

*[https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/p/iranian-leaders-are-not-divided-the Iranian Leaders Are Not Divided… The Trump Administration Is].

*[https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/p/iranian-leaders-are-not-divided-the Iranian Leaders Are Not Divided… The Trump Administration Is].

:"[[Iran]] has total disdain for [[Trump]]’s Special Envoy [[Steve Witkoff]] and views him as both oblivious of [[diplomatic]] processes and totally [[ignorant]] of [[technical]] issues. [[Kushner]] is viewed by Iran as [[Israel]]’s man at the table. Iran, the senior official said, does not see any reason to deal with these two without a figure like [[Vice President JD Vance]] present."

:"[[Iran]] has total disdain for [[Trump]]’s Special Envoy [[Steve Witkoff]] and views him as both oblivious of [[diplomatic]] processes and totally [[ignorant]] of [[technical]] issues. [[Kushner]] is viewed by Iran as [[Israel]]’s man at the table. Iran, the senior official said, does not see any reason to deal with these two without a figure like [[Vice President JD Vance]] present."

::*''[[Politico]]'': "President DONALD TRUMP hasn’t stopped taking calls from [[reporter]]s on his [[cell phone]] — sometimes several in one [[day]] — since the [[Iran war]] began. Aides say it’s a way for the president to make his feelings and positions clear — but the velocity of his comments, coming in '''often contradictory dribs and drabs''', has at times generated [[confusion]] and deepened [[skepticism]] about whether the president has a [[plan]] or [[strategy]] to end the [[war]]. “He thinks he can use these reporters to move the [[market]]s or bully [[Iran]], and sometimes it works, at least with the markets,” '''said one [[White House]] ally granted anonymity to speak''' candidly. “The problem is that he’s always saying different things. Maybe he’s trying to cover up '''not having a clear strategy''' or knowing how he’s going to end the war. But because he’s veering all over the place, that eventually becomes the main thing people see.”...[[Trump]] told a reporter who’d called the president’s personal [[cell phone]] that he was planning to '''send STEVE WITKOFF and JARED KUSHNER''' to Islamabad for another round of talks with Iran. Notably absent was any mention of [[JD Vance|Vice President JD VANCE]], who’d led the delegation during an initial round of talks in [[Pakistan]]. The senior official said that omission had been unintentional but that “the reporter took him out of context and said, ‘Oh, he didn’t mention Vance, so Vance must be sidelined.’” By the time aides figured out what had happened, the reporting was already sparking speculation about Vance’s role inside the administration. Ultimately, the vice president had been ready to lead the delegation a second time, but Trump, facing his own self-imposed deadline, opted against sending anyone back for more talks and extended the ceasefire indefinitely. “When reporters call him, because he's very short with them on the phone, they might not get the full picture, and then they just run with it,” the senior official continued. So why, given the limitations of such short conversations, does Trump keep picking up the phone? “It's a desire to let people know where he stands and what he's thinking,” the senior official said. If it’s designed to win Americans’ hearts and minds, the strategy isn’t having much success, according to the polls.

::*''[[Politico]]'': "President DONALD TRUMP hasn’t stopped taking calls from [[reporter]]s on his [[cell phone]] — sometimes several in one [[day]] — since the [[Iran war]] began. Aides say it’s a way for the president to make his feelings and positions clear — but the velocity of his comments, coming in '''often contradictory dribs and drabs''', has at times generated confusion and deepened [[skepticism]] about whether the president has a plan or [[strategy]] to end the [[war]]. “He thinks he can use these reporters to move the [[market]]s or bully [[Iran]], and sometimes it works, at least with the markets,” '''said one [[White House]] ally granted anonymity to speak''' candidly. “The problem is that he’s always saying different things. Maybe he’s trying to cover up '''not having a clear strategy''' or knowing how he’s going to end the war. But because he’s veering all over the place, that eventually becomes the main thing people see.”...[[Trump]] told a reporter who’d called the president’s personal [[cell phone]] that he was planning to '''send STEVE WITKOFF and JARED KUSHNER''' to Islamabad for another round of talks with Iran. Notably absent was any mention of [[JD Vance|Vice President JD VANCE]], who’d led the delegation during an initial round of talks in [[Pakistan]]. The senior official said that omission had been unintentional but that “the reporter took him out of context and said, ‘Oh, he didn’t mention Vance, so Vance must be sidelined.’” By the time aides figured out what had happened, the reporting was already sparking speculation about Vance’s role inside the administration. Ultimately, the vice president had been ready to lead the delegation a second time, but Trump, facing his own self-imposed deadline, opted against sending anyone back for more talks and extended the ceasefire indefinitely. “When reporters call him, because he's very short with them on the phone, they might not get the full picture, and then they just run with it,” the senior official continued. So why, given the limitations of such short conversations, does Trump keep picking up the phone? “It's a desire to let people know where he stands and what he's thinking,” the senior official said. If it’s designed to win Americans’ hearts and minds, the strategy isn’t having much success, according to the polls.

 

 

 

*[[Will Schryver]]: [https://x.com/imetatronink/status/2048558499081363905 Too Far to Turn Back Now]. ''They will blow the whole wad on one last attempt to turn the tide of affairs.''

*[[Will Schryver]]: [https://x.com/imetatronink/status/2048558499081363905 Too Far to Turn Back Now]. ''They will blow the whole wad on one last attempt to turn the tide of affairs.''