MAYBE PLAN B SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAN A: “It’s looking very good that we’re going to make a deal with Iran,” President Donald Trump told reporters yesterday. “We’re dealing very nicely with them … And they’re willing to do things today that they weren’t willing to do two months ago.”
The U.S. pummeled Iran for nearly 40 days, wiping out Iran’s navy and air force, greatly degrading its air defenses and stocks of missiles and drones. But yesterday, Trump credited the U.S. naval blockade for bringing Iran to heel.
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“The blockade has been incredible,” Trump told reporters. “The blockade is amazing. It’s holding up very strong, very powerfully. And I think we’re making a lot of progress.” In fact, Trump said more than once that “the blockade has been more powerful than the bombs.”
“I think it’s a combination of about four weeks of bombing and a very powerful blockade,” Trump said. “The blockade is maybe more powerful than the bombing, if you want to know the truth.”
Late last month, Trump’s former national security adviser and frequent critic John Bolton suggested a blockade would be a far better option than threatening to bomb Iran’s power plants and desalination facilities, which would be seen as war crimes. “The better answer is to blockade the Strait of Hormuz and not let any Iranian oil out. If our Gulf Arab allies can’t ship oil, then neither should the Iranians,” Bolton said on CNN March 30.
Last night in Las Vegas, Trump said the war “is going along swimmingly’ and “should be ending pretty soon.”
Before leaving for Nevada, he insisted that Iran had caved on the major sticking points. “Very important is that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, and they have agreed to that. Iran’s agreed to that, and they’ve agreed to it very powerfully. They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust that’s way underground,” Trump said. “So we have a lot of agreement with Iran, and I think something’s going to happen very positively.”
TRUMP SAYS IRAN TALKS TO CONTINUE OVER WEEKEND AND TEHRAN ‘AGREED’ TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS
ISW: ‘NUCLEAR ISSUE REMAINS A CORE OBSTACLE’: A “Special Report” released last night by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War has a much less rosy take on where things stand in the negotiations, assessing that Iran is leveraging its position over the Strait of Hormuz to extract concessions, and stating Iran’s “enrichment of uranium and its highly enriched uranium stockpile” remains the “main sticking point.”
“Iran has proposed allowing ships to transit through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz,” the ISW said, citing a report by Reuters, which it said would allow Tehran to claim it still controls the waterway.
And the ISW says there’s no evidence that Iran is willing to comply with U.S. demands that it hand over the 900 pounds of what Trump calls “nuclear dust,” the roughly half-ton of 60% enriched uranium believed buried under rubble at Isfahan.
“The United States wants Iran to remove all of the highly enriched uranium from Iran, whereas Iran has proposed down-blending it or only moving part of its highly enriched uranium to another country, but not all of it,” the ISW said, citing Iranian sources speaking to Western media. The nuclear issue “remains a core obstacle,” citing an April 16 Reuters report “that Iran is not ready to send all of its highly enriched uranium stockpile abroad, but it could send ‘part of it’ to a third-party country.” Iran is claiming it needs the remaining stockpile for medical purposes at a research reactor in Tehran.
“This is a big problem because they don’t need to enrich uranium. They want to enrich uranium because they want to have a weapons program,” Brett McGurk, a former national security official, who is now an analyst on CNN. “I mean, the UAE is a country near Iran. They have a world-class civil nuclear program. About 20% of UAE’s electricity, they don’t enrich uranium. Iran has spent almost $1 trillion, their nuclear program provides almost no electricity to the country.”
“Enrichment is a real issue … Get the stockpile out of your country, McGurk said. “You can frame that in a framework agreement … but longer term … You need verification. You need inspectors. It’s complicated.”
SMITH: TRUMP’S ‘NOT TELLING US THE TRUTH’: The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee has accused President Trump of consistently misleading Americans about progress toward ending the war, including claims that Iran has agreed to give up its “right to enrichment.”
“He’s not telling us the truth repeatedly,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) said on CNN last night. “When he says that Iran has already agreed to these things, that’s manifestly false. So it’s hard to know what reality Donald Trump is living in.”
Smith’s comments come after a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill in which a senior U.S. official confirmed Iran still retains thousands of missiles and one-way attack drones. “This is something that we knew going in. It is very, very difficult in an air campaign to completely destroy the military capacity of an adversary, particularly one like Iran, that had thousands of missiles, thousands of launchers, and a whole bunch of drones.”
“They really didn’t think through exactly where the war was going,” Smith said. “Now I think the hope, basically, is that our blockade of Iran will somehow force them to the table and force them to make an agreement. Iran has shown a very high capacity to absorb pain.”
As for Trump’s claim that Iran has basically agreed to everything the U.S. wants, Smith says, “That’s just pure fantasy on his part.”
“Trump. I mean, he’s always saying stuff that’s completely untrue, and somehow people have decided that’s OK. It was never OK, all right, whatever the alternatives may have been, to have a President this disconnected from reality,” Smith said.
WHY IT’S SO HARD TO NAIL DOWN A REAL NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WITH IRAN
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HAPPENING TODAY: A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect amid hopes that the temporary pause in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah might help pave the way for a larger peace deal between the U.S. and Iran.
“I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be a GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!” Trump posted on Truth Social last night.
In announcing the ceasefire yesterday, Trump said he would be inviting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for “meaningful talks.”
“These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries,” Trump said in a separate post. “On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE.”
An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who have accused Israel of breaking the current ceasefire deal with strikes on Lebanon. Israel said the ceasefire deal did not cover Lebanon.
ISRAEL AND LEBANON BEGINNING 10-DAY CEASEFIRE AFTER ‘EXCELLENT’ TALKS WITH TRUMP
POPE FICTION: President Trump just won’t let it drop. In his running feud with Pope Leo XIV, Trump refused to call a truce, doubling down on his false claim that the Pope has expressed the opinion that Iran should be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
“Mr. President, why are you fighting with the Pope?” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Trump yesterday on the White House lawn. “I’m not fighting with him. The Pope made a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon.”
“He didn’t say that,” Collins interjected, but Trump kept talking. “I can disagree with the Pope. I have a right to.”
“The Pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree,” Trump said. “The Pope has to understand that this is the real world. It’s a nasty world.”
When the reporters referenced a statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which said the Pope was “not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel,” Trump replied. “I want him to preach the gospel. I’m all about the gospel. But I also know that you cannot let a certain country, which is a very mean-spirited country, have a nuclear weapon.”
Yesterday at a peace conference in Cameroon, Pope Leo warned against “masters of war” who spend billions on weapons but dedicate nothing to helping people heal. “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
POPE LEO SAYS WORLD IS BEING ‘RAVAGED’ BY ‘TYRANTS’ AFTER FEUD WITH TRUMP
PULP FICTION: The internet was abuzz yesterday with video clips of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from a recent Pentagon prayer service, reading a prayer he said was traditionally used by U.S. search-and-rescue forces, that is partly from the Bible and mostly from the movie Pulp Fiction.
Hegseth noted that prayer dubbed “CSAR 2517” was “meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17,” from the Old Testament. But he made no mention of Quentin Tarantino’s movie, in which Hollywood writers have expanded the short Bible verse into a speech that bore only a glancing resemblance to the original.
The prayer Hesgeth read: “The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger, those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. And you will know my callsign is Sandy One. When I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
The version delivered by Samuel L. Jackson in the movie, before he shoots a man to death: “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. Those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
Ezekiel 25:17, according to my version of the King James Version, reads “and I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”
HEGSETH COMPARES JOURNALISTS TO ‘PHARISEES’ IN LATEST ANTI-MEDIA RANT
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Trump says Iran talks to continue over weekend and Tehran ‘agreed’ to no nuclear weapons
Washington Examiner: Israel and Lebanon beginning 10-day ceasefire after ‘excellent’ talks with Trump
Washington Examiner: Trump says Hezbollah will be part of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire
Washington Examiner: Hegseth says Iran is ‘digging out’ bombed facilities and warns of continued US military presence
Washington Examiner: Hegseth compares journalists to ‘pharisees’ in latest anti-media rant
Washington Examiner: US expands Iran blockade to target dark fleet ships worldwide
Washington Examiner: Two weeks to stop the war: Trump’s trepidatious Iran timeline
Washington Examiner: Why it’s so hard to nail down a real nuclear agreement with Iran
Washington Examiner: Pope Leo says world is being ‘ravaged’ by ‘tyrants’ after feud with Trump
Washington Examiner: Trump administration’s clash with Pope Leo strikes deeper note than other political feuds
Washington Examiner: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll praises ousted senior leader: ‘I, too, love General George’
Washington Examiner: Judge allows below-ground construction of White House ballroom project to proceed
Washington Examiner: DHS agency to hire 200 special agents to combat immigration fraud
Washington Examiner: ICE arrests under Trump near 457,000
Washington Examiner: How Trump reshaped immigration court to crush asylum
Washington Examiner: Russian attacks kill 18 in Ukraine as Zelensky lobbies allies for air defense support
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Iran just sentenced four protesters to death. Why hasn’t Pope Leo criticized Iran?
Washington Examiner: Opinion: The long sail of the USS Gerald R. Ford
Washington Examiner: Opinion: America’s NATO and Israel alliances are imperfect, but important
DefenseScoop: US Launches ‘Operation Economic Fury’ to Obstruct Iran’s Revenue Streams amid Blockade
New York Times: Russian Strikes Kill at Least 18 in Biggest Barrage on Ukrainian Cities in Months
Wall Street Journal: A Private Equity Billionaire Mounts His Biggest Takeover Yet: the Pentagon
Defense News: Combat Search and Rescue’s Uncertain Future: As A-10s Phase Out, US Air Force Faces Questions of What Comes Next
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Extra $475 Million Puts Hypersonic Interceptor Program Back on Track
Defense One: Space-Based Missile Defense May Cost Too Much for Golden Dome’s 12-Figure Spending Plan
The War Zone: Cheap Interceptor Drones Proven in Ukraine Protected US Troops Against Iranian Shaheds
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force’s Experimental Ops Unit Flies and Maintains Anduril CCA
Task & Purpose: Is the US Military’s Most Important Island in the Pacific Ready for War?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Kicks Off Effort to Build Airborne Targeting Satellites by Selecting Vendor Pool
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Seeks $3.2 Billion Plus-Up to Improve Aircraft Readiness
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Recruits Most New Airmen Since 2004, Making Goal Early
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Seeks Massive Budget Boost for Fund That Helps Manage Spare Parts
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Boeing, Millennium Roll Out Mid-Sized Satellite amid Space Force Production Push
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | APRIL 17
9:30 a.m. 2212 Rayburn — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “Budget Hearing – National Guard and Reserves Forces,” with testimony from Lt. Gen. Leonard Anderson, commander, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command; Lt. Gen. John Healy, chief of Air Force Reserve; Rear Adm. Richard Lofgren, acting chief of Navy Reserve; and Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau http://appropriations.house.gov
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “The U.S. and Israel’s War With Iran: Where Do We Go From Here?” with Suzanna Maloney, vice president and director, Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Program; Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies Iran and the Shi’ite Axis Program; and Aaron David Miller, senior fellow, CEIP American Statecraft Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/04/us-and-israels-war-with-iran
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Readiness, Resilience, and Credibility: The ICBM Mission Today,” with Maj. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser, commander, 20th Air Force https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/readiness-resilience-and-credibility
THURSDAY | APRIL 23
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “The posture of the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2027 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, U.S. Central Command; and Air Force Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, commander, U.S. Africa Command http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
