"Not Credible": Israel Questions Pakistan's 'Mediator' Role In US-Iran Talks

04/09/26 9:58 AM

The Israeli envoy drew parallels between the Pakistan-brokered US-Iran ceasefire and when Team Trump worked with "problematic states like Qatar and Turkey" to broker agreements for a truce in Gaza, including with Hamas.

'Cannot be excused away': Republicans break ranks to bash Trump's 'rhetoric' on Iran

04/07/26 10:26 PM

A pair of Republican lawmakers broke ranks on Tuesday to bash President Donald Trump's latest threat to Iran. Trump threatened to destroy the entire Iranian "civilization" in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning if the Iranian regime did not agree to a deal to end the war by the 8:00 p.m. ET deadline that Trump set. Trump has said negotiations are ongoing, and sources told CNN that a deal seems likely to be approved before the deadline. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) lashed out at Trump's statement in separate social media posts. "The President’s threat that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran," Murkowski wrote on X. "This type of rhetoric is an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250 years. It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home."Moran added that he "does not support" Trump's threat. "I have and will continue to support a strong national defense—one that is focused, disciplined, and firmly rooted in protecting the safety and security of the American people," Moran wrote on X. "But, how we protect the lives of the innocent is just as important as how we engage the enemy. America is great because America is good."

'Dude is insane': Trump reamed for suggesting US could take cut of Iran's shipping tolls

04/08/26 12:44 PM

President Donald Trump's two-week "ceasefire" agreement with Iran was quickly flagged by experts as being lopsidedly in favor of Iran — with one of the most notable aspects being the United States being open to negotiating Iran's right to collect shipping tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, a massive concession.But in conversation with ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl on Wednesday, Trump tried to spin it as a good thing — because maybe America could get in on the action and help Iran enforce the toll in exchange for a cut of the revenue.“We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people,” Trump told Karl. “It’s a beautiful thing.”Commenters on social media largely did not agree with the president on that."Counterpoint: It’s not a beautiful thing," wrote columnist Michael A. Cohen."Dude is insane. 25th amendment," wrote former MS NOW host and Zeteo News chief Mehdi Hasan."Are we gonna do joint ventures for tollbooths at all the major global straits — Malacca, Gibraltar, etc — or are joint ventures possible only if we have a costly war first with the littoral states?" wrote SUNY Albany political science professor Christopher Clary. "Trump went from 'we’re going to wipe Iran off the map' to 'maybe we’re going into business with them' literally overnight," wrote anti-Trump GOP focus grouper and Bulwark founder Sarah Longwell."The truly amazing thing is that there are people in the world who will believe this line of [expletive]. There truly is a sucker born every minute," wrote Penn political science lecturer and Niskanen Center senior fellow Damon Linker.