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- [00:04]
Donald Trump
You are listening to an art media podcast. The leaders are all gone. Nobody knows who to talk to. But we're actually talking to the right people and they want to make a deal so badly. You have no idea how badly they want to make a deal. And we'll see what happens.
- [00:30]
Deborah Pardes
It's Wednesday, March 25th. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is Arc News Daily. President Trump expressed confidence on Tuesday that a ceasefire with Iran is imminent, even as the rest of the world sounded skeptical. A new round of talks is set to take place as early as Thursday, according to reports. Interestingly, the Gulf countries who have previously been involved in mediation have reportedly opted out of this round. The the site for the talks is expected to be in Islamabad, Pakistan. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Trump seemed to suggest that Iran has all but agreed to America's terms, or was about to.
- [01:11]
Donald Trump
I don't have to go over the list, but again, it starts with no nuclear weapons and they've agreed to that. There won't be any nuclear weapons. They're not going to have and they're not going to have enrichment, many of those things. But look, I hate to say that we're in a very good bargaining position.
- [01:24]
Deborah Pardes
While Trump remained vague on the exact terms he's seeking, he did surprise reporters by saying that Iran had just given a present to the United States.
- [01:34]
Donald Trump
They did something yesterday that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present and I'm not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize. So that meant one thing to me would deal with the right people.
- [01:47]
Deborah Pardes
Who those right people actually are remains uncertain. According to reports, the United States is looking to deal with Iran's Parliament speaker, Mohammed Galiboff. Israeli analysts believe Galiboff is eager to get a reprieve from the fighting, but this also also puts him in conflict with hardliners in Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Iranian officials are also apparently picky when it comes to who they might agree to negotiate with instead of the President's previous envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran has reportedly demanded that Trump send Vice President JD Vance to handle the talks. Two regional sources told CNN on Monday that the United States had shared a 15 point list of expectations with Iran. One source said several of those points would be to impossible for Iran to accept. Apparently this skepticism is shared by Israel and some Gulf states who, according to reports, were caught off guard by Trump's sudden appetite for negotiations. Whatever the real status of the talks, the war has continued apace. Israel and the United States targeted more IRGC centers in Iran. And Iran fired repeated barrages of ballistic missiles at Israel. One missile hit central Tel Aviv, causing massive damage to buildings and cars. Four people were lightly hurt. And later in the day, a cluster munition from an Iranian warhead blew off the front of a building in the center of the country, moderately injuring one man. Eight other people were lightly injured in the attack, including six children. Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly still weighing the possibility of more aggressive operations in Iran, like seizing the oil hub on Kharg island or sending troops to capture or Iran's buried uranium. All this as additional US Troops are headed to the region. As the United States turns to diplomacy, Saudi Arabia is apparently pushing Trump to keep fighting. The New York Times reported that the Saudi Crown Prince sees the war as an historic opportunity to topple the Islamic Republic and remake the region. He urged the President not to dial back the war prematurely. According to other reports, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are belatedly inching towards joining the war. One source told the Wall Street Journal that it's, quote, only a matter of time. Another source told Bloomberg that the final straw will be if Tehran goes through with its threat to bomb critical power and water infrastructure in the Gulf. In recent days, Saudi Arabia reportedly gave the US military access to one of its airbases, reversing its pre war refusal let its territory be used against Iran. The UAE and Kuwait announced that they had dismantled Hezbollah linked terror cells on their soil. The UAE also shut down an Iranian hospital, social club and schools in Dubai while threatening to freeze billions of dollars in Iran's assets. Bahrain has also joined the campaign based on a recent video showing missiles being launched from the country toward Iran. Bahrain, like the uae, is a member of the Abraham Accords with Israel. Asked on Tuesday if he liked to see the Gulf states get more involved in the war against Iran, Trump said he was more concerned about NATO stepping up. Are you encouraging our allies in the Gulf to be more involved in the Iran operation?
- [05:15]
Donald Trump
Yeah, I mean a little bit, but more NATO? I think our Gulf allies have been pretty good, to be honest with you.
- [05:23]
Deborah Pardes
Also on Tuesday, Israel's Khan News reported that Israel and Jordan, with the UAE support, are expected to approve a long planned joint industrial free trade zone. The zone was first agreed upon three decades ago, but shelved again and again. Now, with Iranian missiles falling on both sides of the Jordan Valley, the project is finally moving forward. The Lebanese government on Tuesday declared the Iranian ambassador Persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country by Sunday. This was an uncharacteristically aggressive move against Iran, which has long dominated Lebanon through its proxy Hezbollah. The Islamist terrorist group demanded that Lebanon immediately reverse the decision, calling it a, quote, national and strategic sin. The expulsion came under ongoing military pressure from Israel, which has emboldened opponents of Hezbollah within the Lebanese government. Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that the military had finished destroying all the bridges over the Litany river that Hezbollah had been using to move terrorists and weapons into southern Lebanon. He said Israel will maintain control of the remaining bridges and all of southern Lebanon, at least until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to northern Israel. Also on Tuesday, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel. A 27 year old woman was killed and two other people were lightly wounded. In London, the United Kingdom delivered a reprimand to its own Iranian ambassador. The Foreign Office summoned the envoy and conveyed grave concerns over his country's, quote, reckless and destabilizing actions. This came after two Iranian nationals were accused of carrying out hostile surveillance on London's Jewish community. In an interview with the B earlier this month, Iran's UK Ambassador dismissed questions about the regime's massacre of protesters during the war.
- [07:32]
Iran's UK Ambassador
Our people are in a very sensitive period of time, but they are supporting the government against the foreign invader.
- [07:41]
Deborah Pardes
Your government killed thousands of their own people and the world saw that.
- [07:46]
Iran's UK Ambassador
Laura, I again, I recommend you to be very diligent and delicate.
- [07:51]
Deborah Pardes
The United Kingdom, like its European allies, has so far resisted Trump's calls to join the war effort. But the Times of London reported on Tuesday that the Royal Navy has agreed to lead a coalition to clear the Strait of Hormuz of Mines. The other members of the coalition will reportedly be France and the United States. If you want to go deeper, check out ARC Media's other podcasts. On today's what's yous Number? Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wisner Levy are joined by Miyad Maliki, the architect of the Trump administration's maximum pressure policy against Iran. They discuss whether economic pressure can lead to regime change and whether Iran can pick up the pieces after war on For Heaven's Sake, Yossi Klein Halevi and Danielle Hartman ask whether the war is over. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is ARC News Daily. See you tomorrow. Sam.