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- [00:04]
Host
You are listening to an art media podcast.
- [00:14]
Deborah Pardes
It's Monday, April 6, 2026. This news update was recorded at 6:00pm New York time on Sunday. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is ARC News Daily. President Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Horm was supposed to expire on Monday, but on Sunday, he pushed it back 24 hours to Tuesday, 8pm Eastern. Trump claimed the United States and Iran are in, quote, deep negotiations. He said a deal is still possible before Tuesday, but if it doesn't happen, Trump said he would follow through on his threats to completely destroy Iran's energy infrastructure. He also added new threats, according to a Fox News reporter on Sunday.
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Guest Analyst
The president tells me if they don't make a deal and fast, I'm considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil.
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Deborah Pardes
Trump has extended the deadline three times over the past couple of weeks, but Israel appears to be taking his latest threats seriously. A senior Israeli security official confirmed to Reuters on Saturday that the Israeli military has a plan to strike Iranian power stations, refineries and oil facilities. It's just waiting for a US Green light. Iran is not backing down. They've refused US Demands to shut down the nuclear program and reopen the Strait. Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have been seeking a deal, but even they say the talks have hit a dead end. Iran has also been striking energy and industrial sites in Israel and neighboring Gulf states. And on Friday, the regime shot down American fighter jets for the first time in the war. Two planes crashed and three airmen had to be rescued. One of them hid for 36 hours in a mountain crevice. Navy Seal Team 6 found him on Saturday night. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the rescue as a victory for the United States and Israel.
- [02:16]
Host
Congratulations, President Trump. This proves that when free societies muster their courage and their resolve, they can confront seemingly insurmountable odds and overcome the forces of darkness and terror.
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Deborah Pardes
But the incident showed Iran still has firepower and is not letting up. Iran said it used a new air defense system built inside the country to shoot down the jets. On Sunday's Call Me Back, ARC media contributors Amit Sehgal and the Daveyal grappled with the question of what this all means for an end to the war. Amit argued that major progress has already been made. He said Israel and the US have set back Iran's nuclear program, crippled its economy, and pushed the regime towards collapse. Nadav disagreed.
- [03:04]
Host
What I'm saying is that it's really complicated and the truth is that it's nuanced so for instance, if you take Hormuz by force, you'll probably need to maintain it. And by maintaining it, that means that the Iranians will continue attacking you and that means that you need to have a force there. And because the United States is not going to fight a forever war, a lot of things are going on that were not the original plan in some sense.
- [03:27]
Deborah Pardes
A link to the episode is in the show notes as Iran refuses to back down, There's a growing debate inside Israel about whether the military can continue the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The IDF is moving to seize all of southern Lebanon. It deployed an additional reserve brigade over the weekend to widen the offensive, but the threat has not been removed. Hezbollah has fired more than 5,000 projectiles at Israel during the war. And on Sunday evening an Iranian ballistic missile hit a resident in Haifa. Four people were injured. Four more are still missing and believed to be buried under the rubble, including a child. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that he'll send Hezbollah leaders to the, quote, depths of hell. He maintains that the goal is to totally disarm the terrorist group, but few believe that's possible. The Israeli military has already raised concerns about its forces being overstretch and on Friday military officials told reporters that complete disarmament of Hezbollah is not Israel's goal. That would require invading all of Lebanon, not just the south. The only combat deaths on the Israeli side have been in Lebanon. So far, 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed there. The most recent death was On Friday, a 21 year old commando named Guy Lodar on Call Me Back. Amit argued that fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon doesn't make much sense. It would effective to go after Iran directly.
- [05:07]
Host
If you want to destroy Hezbollah, attack Iran stronger because once Iran falls they lose 90% of their budget. The best way to ensure Hezbollah is no longer a threat to Israel is not necessarily an Israeli presence by the Litany River. It's an Israeli presence over the skies of Tehran.
- [05:28]
Deborah Pardes
Israelis overwhelmingly support the war with Iran, but they are much more divided over the front in Lebanon. According to One recent poll, 41% believe the campaign will bring long term security. 48% doubt it will. China and Russia have been doing more than expected to keep Iran and its proxies in the fight. At the United nations, both countries objected to a Bahrain led Security Council resolution. It would authorize defensive measures to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. More than 40 countries support it. But on Thursday, China's UN envoy told the Council that authorizing force would inevitably lead to further escalation Another vote on the measure is expected this week. China also appears to be continuing to supply Iran with a chemical compound used to fuel ballistic missiles. Five ships believed to be carrying enough of this compound for nearly 800 missiles have reached Iran's shores during the war, according to the Telegraph. As for Russia, multiple news outlets have reported that it's providing Iran with real time satellite data on the movements of American forces. Western intelligence agencies have also confirmed that Russia has been shipping drones to Iran. They're improved versions of the kind that Iran originally supplied to Russia for the war in Ukraine. The United States has so far tolerated these actions. In fact, the Trump administration has temporarily eased sanctions both Iranian and Russian oil. US Officials said that that was done to ease the energy crisis caused by the war. But the moves have drawn backlash even from supporters of the campaign like Republican Senator Jerry Moran.
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Guest Analyst
The infusion of money for Tehran will enable it to rebuild capabilities that have been degraded over the past several weeks. Iran can also fund its proxy networks that threaten our interests in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. The waivers signal desperation to the Iranian regime and reinforces that their strategy of taking the Straits of Hormuz hostage is working.
- [07:42]
Deborah Pardes
The Russian oil waiver expires on Saturday. The Iranian waiver will end about a week later. The administration will have to decide whether or not to renew them. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is ARC News Daily. See you tomorrow.
- [08:01]
Host
It.