1 week ago
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This is the highest stakes diplomacy via societal media.
The American president conscionable posted connected his Truth Social platform: "We cognize precisely wherever the alleged 'Supreme Leader' is hiding.
"He is an casual target, but is harmless determination - We are not going to instrumentality him retired (kill!), astatine slightest not for now. But we don't privation missiles changeable astatine civilians, oregon American soldiers.
"Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attraction to this matter!"
Israel-Iran live: Trump says US knows wherever Iran's ultimate person is 'hiding'
It was followed minutes aboriginal by "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"
In real-time, we are witnessing Donald Trump's utmost mentation of maximum unit diplomacy.
He'd astir apt telephone it the 'art of the deal', but bunker busters are the tool, and it comes with specified immense consequences, intended and unintended, known and unknown.
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The bunker buster weaponry which could destruct Iran's atomic ambitions
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There is intentional ambiguity successful the president's messaging. His presumption is that helium tin use his 'art of the deal' strategy to a profoundly ideological geopolitical challenge.
It's each playing retired publicly. Overnight, the New York Times, via 2 of its best-sourced reporters, had been told that Mr Trump is weighing whether to usage B-2 craft to driblet bunker-busting bombs connected Iran's underground atomic facilities.
Meanwhile, Axios was reporting that a gathering is imaginable betwixt Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's overseas curate Abbas Araghchi.
The reporting came conscionable arsenic Mr Trump warned "everyone successful Tehran to evacuate". The atomic sites being threatened with bunker busters are not successful Tehran, but Trump's words are designed to stoke tension, to confuse and to use aggravated pressure.
His actions are too. He near the G7 successful Canada aboriginal and asked his teams to stitchery successful the White House Situation Room.
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This is simply a crippled of smoke, mirrors, brinkmanship and - possibly - bluff. In Tehran, what's near of the enactment is watching and speechmaking intimately arsenic they see what's next.
Maybe the Supreme Leader and his regime's days are numbered. Things stay precise unpredictable.
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From history, though, authorities change, adjacent erstwhile it comes with a program - and determination is surely not 1 here, spells civilian warfare and from that comes a exile crisis.
These are genuinely tense and chaotic times.
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