Donald Trump · White House · Pentagon · China · Iran · Israel · Axios
How Iran's supreme leader passed a truce with Trump
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Officials in the U.S. and Israel learned of an intriguing development on Monday, with President Trump's ultimatum looming: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had instructed his negotiators, for the first time since the war began, to move towards a deal, according to an Israeli official, a regional official and a third source with knowledge.
Key facts
- Setting the scene: On Monday morning, as Trump worked the crowd at a White House Easter celebration, a "angry" Steve Witkoff was working the phones
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt are both expected to give press conferences on Wednesday lambasting those who criticized Trump's vows to annihilate Iran
- By around noon ET on Tuesday, there was a general understanding that the parties were converging on a two-week ceasefire
- As Trump was publicly threatening total annihilation, there were signs of diplomatic momentum behind the scenes, though even sources close to Trump didn't know which outcome to expect right up
Summary
As Trump was publicly threatening total annihilation, there were signs of diplomatic momentum behind the scenes, though even sources close to Trump didn't know which outcome to expect right up until a ceasefire was announced. U.S. forces in the Middle East and officials in the Pentagon spent those closing hours preparing for a massive bombing campaign on Iranian infrastructure, and trying to figure out where Trump was leaning. "The team had no idea what was going to happen. Allies in the region were bracing for Iranian retaliation on an unprecedented scale.