US rejects Iranian request for another meeting in Pakistan

US rejects Iranian request for another meeting in Pakistan

Danny Zaken

According to information obtained by Israel Hayom, the US is not willing to set another date for talks with Iran at this stage. At the same time, grim economic data point to a sharp deterioration and an increasing pressure to renew contacts with the Americans. 

Immediately after the breakdown of the Iran-US talks in Pakistan, the Pakistanis began trying to arrange another meeting in Islamabad. While those efforts by the Pakistani mediators were being reported, information obtained by Israel Hayom shows that at this stage the Americans are not prepared to set another date for talks.

The US intends to fully leverage the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Washington's precondition was the full reopening of the strait, as had previously been agreed, a condition the Iranians did not meet.

According to CNN, senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration are discussing a possible additional meeting with the Iranians, in Geneva or in Islamabad.

Iran's regime, led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has almost no reserves left to continue the fighting, according to assessments by diplomatic and security officials in the US and the Middle East. Those officials say the situation is expected to worsen further if the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and that Iran's political leadership is therefore likely to press the Guard's leadership to renew contacts with the US in order to secure relief.

Differences between senior Guard commanders Ahmad Vahidi and Ali Abdollahi and the civilian political leadership are deep, and growing. Their refusal to allow Foreign Minister Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to discuss the nuclear issue without an immediate return in the form of sanctions relief was what led to the collapse of the talks in Pakistan.

Intelligence reaching the US, Israel and Gulf states involved in the issue shows that Iran's foreign currency reserves have been almost entirely depleted. The formal economy run by Pezeshkian's government is showing exceptionally high unemployment, triple-digit inflation, a currency that continues to slide and the near-total blockage of almost every source of income.

Reports indicate that Iran's Finance Ministry and central bank are sending Pezeshkian daily warnings about the state of the economy and that Iran will struggle to recover even if the war ends now, unless sweeping reforms are introduced and resources are redirected toward the economy.

According to a report by opposition-linked Iran International, officials at the central bank of the Islamic Republic warned the government that if the current situation continues, inflation will reach 180% and another 2 million people will join the ranks of the unemployed. The report said central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati stressed to Pezeshkian that Iran must reach an agreement with the US and lift internet restrictions in order to improve the economic situation.

Hemmati took part in the talks in Islamabad and presented Iran's demand for sanctions to be lifted and frozen assets to be released. He made clear that without immediate income, large parts of Iran's population would face the danger of hunger.

The Americans made clear that they would be prepared to release the frozen funds, provided the money was directed to civilian needs. The economic discussion made no progress because of disagreements over the nuclear issue and over Iran's refusal to reopen Hormuz, as it had undertaken to do as a condition for a ceasefire.

The intelligence also points to the collapse of Iran's second economy, the one run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Guards control numerous companies that dominate Iran's energy sector, including oil exports, as well as mining, aviation, pharmaceuticals, heavy industry and more. Almost all of those sectors, except oil, have nearly ceased operating. The meaning is a reduction in the regime's offensive capabilities.

Another aspect, no less important, is the freezing of bank accounts and financial assets belonging to companies tied to the Guards and to their senior figures, meaning a direct blow to the personal wealth of the Guard's top brass.

THIS IS HOW A REGIONAL CONFLICT GOES GLOBAL IN A FOURTH TURNING

THIS IS HOW A REGIONAL CONFLICT GOES GLOBAL IN A FOURTH TURNING

Via New Direction Africa

CHINA JUST WARNED THE US

Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun today:

“We have trade and energy agreements with Iran. We expect others not to interfere in our affairs. The Strait of Hormuz is open to us.”

This is a direct response to the US naval blockade on Iran. China is not asking. China is stating.

The US can blockade all it wants. China will still send its ships. Still buy its oil. Still protect its interests.

The empire just got put on notice. The Strait of Hormuz is not American water. And China is not backing down.

This is how a multipolar world fights back. Not with threats. With facts. The strait is open to China. Period.

China just drew the line. The US can blockade Iran, but they cannot block China. That’s the message. Clear. Public. No room for misinterpretation. Now the empire has to decide: back down or escalate. Either way, the era of uncontested US naval dominance just hit a wall. And that wall has Chinese warships behind it.

More...

Turkey Threatens To Invade Israel - A Prophetic Strom Is Brewing

Turkey Threatens To Invade Israel - A Prophetic Strom Is Brewing

 PNW STAFF

The words were not whispered. They were not vague. They were not misunderstood. In a moment that sent shockwaves through geopolitical circles, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stood before an international audience in Istanbul and issued one of the most direct threats yet against Israel: "There is nothing to prevent us from doing it."

That "it," as he made unmistakably clear, was military intervention--an invasion.

For years, rhetoric between Turkey and Israel has fluctuated between tense and hostile. But this was different. This was not merely criticism. This was not diplomatic posturing. This was a sitting leader of a NATO member openly invoking military action against a U.S.-backed ally--and doing so while referencing past Turkish military interventions as precedent.

A Threat That Crosses a Line

Speaking at the International Asia-Political Parties Conference, Erdoğan drew direct comparisons between Israel and previous theaters where Turkey projected power. He pointed to operations in Libya and the Nagorno-Karabakh, declaring: "We will do the same to them."

That statement alone would have been enough to spark alarm. But Erdoğan went further--launching a personal and inflammatory attack against Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of being "blinded by blood and hatred" and running what he described as a "blood-stained genocide network."

Turkey's Foreign Ministry escalated even more, labeling Netanyahu "the Hitler of our time"--a comparison that all but ensures diplomatic relations will remain deeply fractured, if not beyond repair.

The rhetoric was matched with legal escalation. A Turkish court has reportedly issued indictments against Netanyahu and dozens of Israeli officials tied to the interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla--seeking extreme cumulative prison sentences. Symbolic or not, it underscores a broader shift: Turkey is no longer content with verbal opposition--it is building a narrative framework for confrontation.

Israel, for its part, did not stay silent. Netanyahu fired back, accusing Erdoğan of enabling Iran's terror network while brutalizing his own Kurdish population. Other Israeli leaders went further still, describing Erdoğan as a power-hungry authoritarian clinging to imperial fantasies.

The result? Not just tension--but open hostility, with both sides speaking as if conflict is no longer unthinkable.

Turkey's Quiet Expansion Across the Region

While the headlines focus on fiery speeches, the more consequential story has been unfolding quietly over the past several years: Turkey's steady and strategic expansion of influence across the Middle East and beyond.

In Syria, Ankara has entrenched itself militarly and politically, backing opposition factions and maintaining a significant troop presence in the north. In Libya, Turkish intervention reshaped the balance of power, giving Ankara long-term influence in a country that sits at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

Beyond those flashpoints, Turkey has extended its reach into Somalia, Qatar, and northern Iraq--building military bases, forging economic ties, and positioning itself as a dominant Sunni power broker in a region long shaped by Iran's Shia axis.

This is not accidental. It is doctrine.

Often referred to as a neo-Ottoman strategy, Turkey's approach blends military force, political alliances, economic investment, and ideological messaging. Unlike Iran's reliance on proxy militias, Turkey is building state-level partnerships and embedding itself into the infrastructure of multiple regions.

And now, as Iran's influence has been weakened in recent conflicts, a vacuum is forming.

Turkey appears more than ready to fill it.

A Dangerous Alignment Taking Shape

Here is where the situation becomes even more concerning.

Despite competing interests, Turkey has increasingly found itself aligned--at least tactically--with powers like Iran and Russia in key regional theaters. In Libya, Turkish influence has grown significantly, placing it in a strategic position along the Mediterranean with access to routes and leverage that extend toward Israel's sphere of interest.

This is not a formal alliance in the traditional sense--but it is a convergence of interests. And in geopolitics, that can be just as powerful.

The idea of Turkey, Iran, and Russia operating in overlapping spheres--while Turkey simultaneously expands into places like Libya--should not be ignored. It represents a shifting balance of power that could redefine the region in the years ahead.

Words Today--War Tomorrow?

Right now, Erdoğan's threats are just that--words. Dangerous, inflammatory, and destabilizing words--but still words.

Yet history has shown that rhetoric often precedes reality.

Leaders rarely wake up one day and act completely out of character. They move in the direction they have been signaling all along.

And what Erdoğan is signaling is unmistakable: a vision of Turkey as a dominant regional power, unafraid to confront Israel, willing to challenge the West, and increasingly comfortable projecting force far beyond its borders.

For many observers, this is where geopolitics ends. But for others--particularly those familiar with biblical prophecy--it may be where another layer of meaning begins.

In Ezekiel 38, an ancient prophecy describes a future coalition of nations that will come against Israel in the latter days. Among the names listed is "Magog," along with allies such as Persia--widely understood to represent modern-day Iran--and other regions that many scholars have long associated with areas that include parts of modern Turkey. The passage outlines not just hostility, but a coordinated invasion from the north--an event that has intrigued theologians and geopolitical analysts alike for generations.

For decades, such alignments seemed distant, even unlikely. But today, the landscape is shifting. Turkey is expanding. Iran may be signfigantly weakened but still posses a large army and has already shown how fast they can rebuild. Russia is increasingly active in the region depsite being dragged down in Ukraine. Libya--now heavily influenced by Ankara--adds another layer to a growing web of strategic positioning.

For now, the world may dismiss Erdoğan's statements as political theater. And perhaps, in the immediate sense, that's all they are.

But theater has a way of becoming reality when the script has been rehearsed long enough.

Because when a leader says there is "nothing to prevent" an invasion, the real question is no longer if it happens tomorrow.

It's whether the mindset behind those words is aligning--step by step--with something far bigger than politics alone.

Israeli troops enter ‘terror capital’ of southern Lebanon

Israeli troops enter ‘terror capital’ of southern Lebanon

Israel Today

Israeli forces have surrounded and begun targeted incursions into the southern Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil, 

located just five kilometers from the Israeli border and described as a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israeli military officials said they expect to fully conquer the town by the end of the week as part of plans 

to establish a defensive line preventing Hezbollah terrorists from being able to launch anti-tank missiles at

 Israeli communities visible across the border.

Conquering Bint Jbeil is not only tactical, it is a major symbolic defeat for Hezbollah, which coordinated

 its hostile border activities from the town.

One of the first locations seized by Israeli troops was the local stadium. In 2000, as Israeli forces withdrew

 from their South Lebanon security zone, then-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stood in that stadium

 and declared Israel to be no stronger than a cobweb.

“This Israel, with its nuclear weapons and most advanced warplanes in the region, I swear by Allah, is 

actually weaker than a spider’s web,” Nasrallah said. “Israeli society is war-weary and lacks the resilience 

to endure a bloody conflict or suffer casualties. Israel may appear strong from the outside, but it’s easily 

destroyed and defeated.”

After his troops took control of the area, Brig. Gen. Guy Levy, commander of the IDF’s 98th Paratroopers 

Division, told reporters: “Bint Jbeil in the year 2000. Someone stood here, in this field, and claimed that 

Israel is a cobweb filled with spiders that must be exterminated. Today, that man is gone, the compound

 is gone, and his words are worth nothing.”

Nasrallah was eliminated by Israel in Sept. 2024.

The IDF’s broader plans are to push Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River, an obligation Lebanon 

took on itself in the US-brokered ceasefire of November 2024 but failed to accomplish.

As US Initiates Blockade Of Hormuz, Trump Warns Any Iranian Ships Coming Near Will Be 'Eliminated'

As US Initiates Blockade Of Hormuz, Trump Warns Any Iranian Ships Coming Near Will Be 'Eliminated'

TYLER DURDEN

Summary

• US pressed Iran to stop all Iranian enrichment for 20 years, after which Iran countered less than ten years, at which point the weekend negotiations broke down (Axios). Still, mediators say 'door not closed' on pursuit of an agreement.

• Iran's military says the US blockade on Gulf ports, now in effect, is an "illegal" act tantamount to "piracy" as Trump is also weighing limited strikes on Iran. Trump warns Iranian fast boats to be 'eliminated'.

• US military says it is enforcing the blockade in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, Reuters reports. No major incidents or acts of aggression reported, hours into US operation.

• Pundits review breakdown of Pakistan talks, where the "gaps were enormous" - and yet Iran's FM says the sides were "inches away" from an "Islamabad MoU".

• Israel-Hezbollah fighting persists on eve of planned Tuesday talks in Washington between Israeli and Lebanese officials.

  
  

  Mediators Still Press For Iran Deal After US Demanded 20-Year Halt To Nuclear Program

  On Monday a US official has been cited in Axios as saying Iran must halt its nuclear enrichment program for 20 years to end the war, scaling back from an earlier White House demand for a permanent end to enrichment. And that's when sources say the Iranians countered with a shorter "single digit" period, or less than ten years.

  Multiple Middle Eastern countries are still working to mediate a resolution, as both Washington and Tehran moved away from maximalist positions on enrichment. Before the talks, Trump demanded a permanent halt, while Iran pushed for a deal allowing a civilian nuclear program without additional restrictions. Axios has further said the "door is not closed" on a deal, but certainly the two sides' are still far apart, with Tehran accusing Washington of inexplicably reverting to intolerable "maximalist demands."

  At Least 15 US Navy Ships Enforce Blockade

  The Wall Street Journal has newly detailed that more 15 American warships are now in place to support the operation, in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The report further specified that "An advisory to mariners from U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, which is affiliated with Britain's Royal Navy, said maritime-access restrictions were being enforced for Iranian ports and coastal areas along the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Arabian Sea.

  "Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, ​diversion, and capture," a notification from US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said. And UKMTO has warned maritime traffic, "These access restrictions apply without distinction to vessels of any flag engaging with Iranian ports, oil terminals, or coastal facilities." Trump boasts the following on Monday:

  Trump: Iranian Ships Coming Near Blockade Will Be Eliminated

  The Trump-ordered US military blockade of the Hormuz Strait has gone into effect as of early evening local time (and 10am in the US), and Trump soon after issued the below Truth Social message warning that if any of Iran's ships - which he says at this point are merely small 'fast attack ships' - come "anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated." He described this will be "the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers" - in reference to the Caribbean and prior Venezuela operations.

  The US Navy is said to be operating from the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea while enforcing it. Within the first couple hours of it being in place, there have been no initial reported hostile incidents. In effect a standoff is ensuing.

  As a reminder, after the earlier CENTCOM announcement of the blockade plans, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday had declared, "enjoy the current pump figures," adding that "with the so-called ‘blockade,’ Soon you'll be nostalgic for $4–5 gas."

  More....