Iran/US Scenario 2 in Play, Ball is now in Trump’s Court, and Trump Blinks First in China Showdown

Looks like the second scenario I outlined in my last article — What to Expect from the US/Iran Negotiation in Oman — is the winner. But don’t start popping champagne corks just yet. The agreement between the Iranian and US negotiators, i.e., Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump’s pal, Steve Witkoff, to meet next Saturday is very good news. In contrast with Witkoff’s refusal to deal directly with Hamas, today’s “indirect” negotiation session ended with direct contacts between Araghchi and Witkoff. Personal chemistry is important.

Let’s not forget that Araghchi was in Moscow earlier this week, coordinating and discussing Iran’s proposals with his counterparts from Russia and China. I am certain that the Russians and the Chinese played a role in persuading Iran to offer the US a proposal that they believed could be acceptable to Witkoff, or at least provide grounds for further discussions.

Witkoff’s task is difficult. While he has the backing of Trump, the proposal offered by Iran is likely to enrage the Zionist cabal that surrounds Trump — i.e., Michael Waltz, Marco Rubio and CIA Director, John Ratcliffe. The GrayZone’s Max Blumenthal reports that AIPAC considers those three as reliable lackeys:

During an off-the-record panel, AIPAC’s CEO detailed his organization’s grooming of Trump’s top national security officials, and how his group’s “access” ensures they continue to follow Israel’s agenda.

The Grayzone has obtained audio of an off-the-record session from the 2025 Congressional Summit of AIPAC, the main US lobbying arm of the state of Israel. Recorded by an attendee of the panel discussion, the audio features AIPAC’s new CEO, Elliott Brandt, describing how his organization has cultivated influence with three top national security officials in the Trump administration – Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Director Mike Waltz, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe – and how it believes it can gain “access” to their internal discussions. . . .

Referring to Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his National Security Director Mike Waltz, and Elise Stefanik, whose nomination to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations was suddenly withdrawn to preserve the GOP’s majority in the House of Representatives, Brandt explained to AIPAC members, “Those three people have something in common: they all served in Congress.”

After relying heavily on pro-Israel donors to fuel their campaigns for office, “they all have relationships with key AIPAC leaders from their communities,” said the AIPAC CEO. “So the lines of communication are good should there be something questionable or curious, and we need access on the conversation.”

Trump is going to come under enormous pressure to add additional conditions to the proposal now on the table — e.g., elimination of Iran’s nuclear program, elimination of Iran’s missiles and/or an end to all support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. If the Zionist crowd succeeds in clubbing Witkoff like a baby seal, and Witkoff is forced to return to Oman with one or more of these “new” conditions, the Iranians will walk away and the possibility of a deal to prevent war will evaporate.

Trump now holds the success or failure of his Presidency in his own hands. If he endorses the Witkoff deal, he will earn the enmity of the Zionist cabal, but he will have a credible deal that would likely mark the end of the Iranian interest in building a nuclear weapon. Trump will have JD Vance and Tulsi Gabbard in his corner, along with his son, Don Jr., and the support of friends like Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk.

Witkoff already is a target of attacks by some unnamed Republicans over his negotiations with Russia:

Witkoff, an old friend of Trump’s who has helped secure key diplomatic victories for the president, has garnered some support from the Republican Party’s Ukraine skeptics but his proposals have stoked outrage among other Republicans who believe the administration has turned too sharply toward Moscow.

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill were so concerned about Witkoff’s apparent pro-Russia stance in the Carlson interview that several called National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio afterward to complain, according to a person familiar with the calls.

After he briefs Trump on his talks with the Iranian delegation, you can bet every penny you own that the details will be hastily leaked to every pro-Israel loon in Congress, and the howls of protest will erupt.

While Donald Trump is busy pretending that he is still a powerful, political juggernaut, the reality is that the base that elected him is starting to fracture, and Trump is being forced to reverse himself on some key tariff’s levied on China. In a classic Washington political move, Trump waited until Friday night to wave a white flag, effectively surrendering to China on a critical technology. According to the Wall Street Journal:

Smartphones, laptop computers, memory chips and other electronics will be exempt from President Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs, another step back that could ease some consumer concerns about an immediate jump in costs for tech products imported from China.

New guidance published late Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection also exempts machines used to create semiconductors, plus products including computer monitors, tablets, Apple watches and computers from the tariffs Trump imposed in his April 2 executive order, which mandated levies of 10% of the value of almost all U.S. imports, and set higher rates on imports from some countries.

This is not the last of Trump reversing draconian tariffs. You can expect to learn of more “late night” news dumps in the coming weeks.