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- [00:04]
A
You are listening to an art media podcast. It's Tuesday, April 7, 2026. This news update was recorded at 7:00pm New York time on Monday. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is ARC News Daily. We may soon find out how much patience President Donald Trump has left with the war against Iran. His latest deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz expires tonight at 8pm Eastern, and he said that this time it's final. At a White House press conference yesterday, Trump reiterated his threats to send Iran back to the Stone Age if the regime doesn't make a deal.
- [00:55]
B
We have a plan where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o' clock tomorrow night. Where every power plant will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again. I mean, complete demolition.
- [01:12]
A
It's hard to know where things actually stand. Trump has sent mixed messages about the war since it began. He said the US has effectively won already and talked up negotiations. But he's also threatened major escalation. But a new framework deal reportedly emerged on Sunday night during a phone call between Pakistan's army chief, Iran's foreign minister, and Vice President J.D. vance. The deal would start with a 45 day ceasefire. Iran would partially reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin diluting its stockpile of enriched uranium. In return, the US Would ease sanctions. The deal would also require further negotiations for a longer term arrangement. But sources close to Trump told Israel's Channel 12 that it's unlikely any agreement will be reached by tonight. Iranian officials have said they will not accept a temporary ceasefire or negotiate under threat. Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Aragchi said the regime is prepared to take the fight as far as necessary. Israeli officials have concerns of their own. In a phone call with Trump on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a cease carries major risks. On the latest episode of Call Me Back, ARC media contributor Nadav Eyal explained further. He said Israel's fear is not that Trump will make a bad deal, it's that he'll make any deal before the war has achieved its goals.
- [02:43]
C
The idea is as follows. Israel is not worried that a fundamentalist fascist regime is going to actually give up its nuclear facilities, its enriched uranium, its ballistic missile program, its proxies. The only thing that they are worried about is the negotiation itself as a tool, as a weapon in this war.
- [03:05]
A
As the world braced for Trump's final deadline yesterday, he continued to stoke uncertainty. So which is it? Are you winding this down? Are you asking?
- [03:15]
B
I can't tell you. I don't know. I can't tell. It depends what they do. This is a critical period.
- [03:22]
A
A deadly Iranian missile strike on an apartment building in Haifa has renewed fears about Israel's air defenses. On Sunday, Israeli rescue services worked through the night to pull four bodies from the rubble. An elderly couple, their son and his partner.
- [03:38]
B
Once again, the Iranian regime aims its missiles the civilian target.
- [03:43]
A
A video released by the Israeli military shows a mountain of debris where the building partially collapsed. Four other people were wounded in the attack, including a 10 month old baby and an 82 year old man. A military investigation found that the missile broke up in the air, causing it to change direction and avoid interception. The issue is this. While Iran is firing fewer missiles than they were at the start of the war, more missile fragments appear to be breaking through. The hit rate on populated areas rose from just 3% to 27% during the first three weeks of fighting. That's according to an analysis by the Jewish Institute for National Security. One of the main reasons for the increase is that Iran has started using more cluster warheads. They're designed to break apart and scatter mid flight. Iran has also found a way to release them at extremely high altitudes, up to 23,000ft, according to a defense publication called the War Zone. The added height allows them to spread across an even wider area up to 17 miles. Complicating the issue is Iran's attacks on radar systems. A New York Times assessment found that the regime has struck at least 10 US radar installations across the region since the war began. These radars form the backbone of an early warning network to detect incoming missiles. Israel is also rationing its most advanced air defense system, the Arrow 3. According to multiple reports, the military is instead relying on a shorter range system called David's sling. Unlike Arrow 3, it can only intercept missiles closer to earth, which means fragments are more likely to make impact. Israeli security officials have been warning about the interceptor shortage for weeks, but Defense Minister Israel Katz yesterday denied it's an issue. At the same time, Israel announced it's ramping up Arrow 3 production. Defense industry sources say it will take months to meaningfully increase supplies in the United States. The Democratic Party's break with Israel is accelerating. Three prominent members of Congress recently came out in favor of cutting US Military aid to Israel. Yesterday, Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona said he will no longer back sending offensive weapons. Last week, Representative Ro Khanna of California went even further. He said he would vote against funding Israel's defense system, specifically Iron Dome. Also last week, Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York, said she now opposes all US Military aid to Israel. For both AOC and Khana, the statements reversed previous decisions. As recently as last year, AOC voted against cutting defensive aid to Israel. And in 2024, Khanna Co signed a statement affirming support for the Iron Dome. Since then, both have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Khanna predicted on a podcast that the Democratic Party will soon embrace a range of anti Israel positions.
- [06:58]
D
We need to say it was a genocide. We need to say that there can be no military sales of weapons that kill civilians to Israel. We need to say we're done with US Aid, not a dollar more to Israel. Israel is a rich country, a first world country, and we need to be for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
- [07:17]
A
It seems they're responding to voters. According to polls, just 13% of Democrats hold positive views of Israel. 59% of Democrats say the country has too much influence over US Foreign policy, and a majority of Americans oppose sending military aid. There's an irony to all this. Netanyahu announced earlier this year that he doesn't even want the aid. In an interview with the Economist, he said he wants Israel to be more independent.
- [07:45]
E
We very deeply appreciate the military aid that America has given us over the years. But here too, we've come of age and we've developed incredible capacities and our economy, which will soon reach, certainly within a decade, it'll reach about a trillion dollars. It's not a huge economy, but it's not a small economy. So I want to taper off the military aid within the next 10 years.
- [08:06]
A
Trump, for his part, has shown no interest in ending the aid. He's kept the weapons flowing. Last month, the State Department bypassed Congress to rush more than $650 million in bombs and munitions to Israel. The official justification for the sale was that it will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States. I'm Deborah Pardes and this is ARC News Daily. See you tomorrow.