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Welcome to The Logoff: When will Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran finish?
What’s taking place? The US and Israel have now spent 11 days putting targets in Iran, killing the nation’s supreme chief and destroying Iranian missile launchers and naval property. Nevertheless it’s not clear the place they go from right here, and also you’ll get totally different solutions relying on who you ask.
Trump, on Monday: “I believe the conflict may be very full, just about.”
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt, right now: “When [Trump] determines the navy aims have been met…and that Iran is ready of full and unconditional give up.”
US particular envoy to the Center East Steve Witkoff, additionally right now: “I don’t know.”
What are the choices, actually? As my colleague Zack Beauchamp has reported, “unconditional give up” — and the extra US-friendly management Trump has mentioned he desires — isn’t probably underneath present circumstances. As a substitute, the most definitely outcomes are a negotiated settlement, or Trump merely deciding to say victory and go dwelling.
Why does this matter? This isn’t a brand new drawback for the Trump administration, which has been unable to clarify why it took the US to conflict. Nevertheless it’s solely going to get extra acute because the conflict drags on and fuel — adopted by nearly every thing else — will get costlier. US casualties are additionally mounting: Eight service members have died, and about 140 have been wounded, in accordance with the Pentagon.
Within the meantime, the US and Israel are bombarding Tehran, a metropolis of greater than 9 million individuals. Israeli strikes on oil services over the weekend have induced harmful acid rain to fall from the skies, and strikes have additionally induced widespread energy outages. On Tuesday, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth introduced “our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.”
“In the event that they maintain hitting Tehran like this for one more 10 days,” one resident informed the New York Occasions, “nothing will stay of Tehran.”
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
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