The real and true crisis (Joke)

   There's the US capitol in the back, but japan would be more appropriate for this cartoon, and so would Europe. We are approaching the end game of debt. The crisis in Ukraine and Iran are not taking place in a vacuum but in a sea of debt.

 

 

Diplomacy On His Deathbed – From Peace-President To Warmonger from Peter Hanseler

   An interesting perspective from Peter Hanseler, a Swiss living in Moscow. Except for a few biased comments, I agree with most of the points of this article.

  What is important, beyond the war itself is that Trump is destroying trust at the international level. You would have to be a fool to listen to anything he says now and except, (maybe?) in Europe, there are not many fools at this level of international negotiations.  

  The West is already at war with Russia, so the only effort here is trying to avoid a downward spiral. The real linchpin now is the relation with China although the writing is on the wall and has been for the last 10 years. Western countries are tightening the screw slowly but relentlessly as a noose around the Chinese neck. This might have worked 20 years ago, now it is far too late.

  We are "one" mistake away from World War 3. It could be an incident in the Persian Gulf sending the price of oil skyward, a sharp sale of US long term bonds, anything which destabilize the world market will do at this stage, precipitating a cascade or rather tsunami of derivatives which will trigger further "real world" consequences. 

  To be honest, although I have been predicting this outcome since the "false" recovery of the 2008 crisis, to see it happening in real time is quite unbelievable. It truly feels like nobody is in charge, and to some extent, it is probably the case as the dynamic of events seems to be self perpetuating at this stage.

 Let's look at a simple but credible scenario: Israel in a week or two realize that they are in mortal danger, as after launching old and second rate missiles to deplete the Iron Dome, Iran starts launching more modern and accurate ones. The US won't intervene? Fine. Let's bomb Abadan and Kharg Island. Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz as they said they would. Now the US and Europe are automatically involved. But so is China. What is the probability of such a scenario happening? Well, your guess is as good as mine but it looks uncomfortably high to my opinion. Last year, we still had a couple of years in front of us. Earlier this year it was down to a few months. Now it is weeks and counting...

Authored by Peter Hanseler via voicefromrussia.org,

The US’s involvement in the attacks on Russia and Iran makes a negotiated solution to these conflicts unlikely. Trump, who promised his people peace, is bringing war...

Untrustworthy Trump

One day before the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine attacked aircraft from Russia’s strategic bomber fleet with drones hidden in trucks that were smuggled into Russia. We reported on this in “Operation Spiderweb: Ukraine and NATO attack on Russia: a new Pearl Harbor? Full escalation? Are the fanatics back? Facts and analysis.” The military damage was minor; what remained was a propaganda victory for the West – nothing more. On June 11, the Financial Times went to great lengths to prove that these attacks were carried out with AI without Western help. The FT should probably confine itself to business news – pure propaganda without a shred of evidence. A feeble attempt to keep the Americans out of it, without whose help this attack would not have been possible.

This was followed shortly afterwards by a major attack by Israel on Iran. TheTimes of Israel boasted that the US, together with the Israelis, had carried out a multi-layered disinformation campaign to make the Iranians believe that an attack was not imminent. This report is credible, as Trump made no attempt to hide US complicity in the Israeli attack on Iran at the end of the week.

That’s not all, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied US involvement, saying:

“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.”

Marco Rubio – 13. Juni 2025

This proves that the Americans certainly had a hand in this deadly game and that the Trump administration cannot even manage to coordinate coherently within its own team. Not a sign of professionalism.

A few hours ago, a 180 from Trump:

It’s clear that there’s no hope of finding out anymore what the President of the US believes and does. What a joy to negotiate with such a person.

Unclear developments in the Middle East

We can confirm with depressing certainty that it is very possible that the final chapter of the series of wars launched by the US has begun in the Middle East. Please refer to our article “Bloodbaths change the world – Part 2 – 9/11”, where General Clark provided information about the US’s real intentions and plans in 2007:

The target countries were: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan – and finally Iran.

Instead of five years in which the US wanted to “pacify” these countries, almost 25 years have now passed. But it seems that the Americans have fulfilled Netanyahu’s wish, who had wanted to attack Iran for 25 years, after all.

Netanyahu is delighted – goal achieved!

A few weeks ago, in the article “Anything is possible – unfortunately”, I categorized the Iran smouldering fire as non-critical. In my analysis, I assumed that the Americans were not naive enough to allow themselves to be drawn into such a catastrophic war based on a delusion and Netanyahu’s fantasies of empire. Perhaps the naive person was myself.

It is not yet clear how many levels of escalation will be exceeded in the coming days. After this attack, however, Iran will have to respond militarily in a way that will give the Americans and Israelis existential fears. The Americans about their presence in the Middle East and the Israelis about their existence as a state. It seems that the Iranians would in principle be able to inflict huge damage on the US and Israel, as they – unlike Israel and the US – have hypersonic missiles. We will soon see whether they decide to do so and actually have this strike power.

“Rational thinking takes you past the deathbed of diplomacy and straight onto the wrong track.”

The danger of this conflict turning into a death struggle between two countries should not be dismissed out of hand. Netanyahu has always been a psychopath and sociopath; the genocide in Gaza is testimony to this. Now, however, this megalomaniac is also in a serious political and health crisis. He will therefore not have the slightest problem setting the entire Middle East, his own homeland or even the entire world on fire.

The Americans are known for completely overestimating themselves; the never-ending series of lost wars since 1945 are testimony to this. Add to this the sinister influence of the Zionists on American foreign policy. I will refrain from using rational arguments to predict future developments. Rational thinking takes you past the deathbed of diplomacy and straight onto the wrong track.

How will Russia react?

Russian confidence in the US has already suffered severely as a result of the Ukrainian drone attack, yet the Russians are continuing diplomatic efforts without feeling any pressure as time plays in Russia’s favor. The longer the war in Ukraine lasts, the less there will be left of Ukraine.

Relations between Iran and Russia are close. Both are full members of BRICS and the SCO and good relations are beneficial for both countries, also because of the NSTC (North South Transport Corridor). Russia will stand by Iran in this conflict, diplomatically, logistically and possibly by supplying weapons. If there is a war between the US and Iran, I doubt that the Russians will enter the war alongside Iran, as this would make World War 3 a fact.

How will China react?

China is also closely linked to Iran, also through BRICS, SCO and Iran’s oil supplies to China. China’s dependence on Iran’s oil is considerable, but not threatening. China mainly imports oil from Russia and Saudi Arabia. Russia. I rule out the possibility of China going to war alongside Iran for the same reasons as I did with Russia.

Strait of Hormuz

If Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, this will lead to instability in the Western financial markets, which could be dangerous. The Strait of Hormuz is the most important transportation route for oil on our planet. 20% of global production flows through this strait. The price of oil shot up by 14% on Friday and closed 7% higher. If the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, oil prices of USD 150 to 200 will be possible. That would be poison for the already unstable financial markets.

Diplomacy on the deathbed

When Donald Trump took office for his second term, he promised his people and the entire world that he would not only bring peace, but also prevent wars. These were not just empty promises, but probably lies.

While it was still possible to speculate about Trump’s personal knowledge of the drone attack on Russia, the American president dropped the mask when it came to Iran. The faint hope in Moscow and Tehran that Donald Trump was actually interested in a peaceful settlement of the conflict has been dashed. Although Trump would like to conclude agreements, he is not seeking a diplomatic solution but is presenting conditions that are unacceptable to the other side and is “convincing” his interlocutors not with diplomacy but with brute force.

In addition, he is using dirty tricks to pull the wool over the eyes of Iran and Russia. Iran is led to believe that no attack is imminent and the Ukrainian attack takes place the day before negotiations in Istanbul – in full knowledge and probably coordinated by the Americans.

The damage that the Israelis have inflicted on Iran appears to be considerable, as numerous senior officers of the Iranian armed forces have been deliberately killed. The damage done in Russia by Ukraine is of no military significance. However, by far the greatest damage was done to diplomacy.

In a great interview with Judge Napolitano, John Mearsheimer said out loud what the world needs to get used to.

“Any country on the planet to trust the United States is remarkably foolish.”

John J. Mearsheimer – 13. Juni 2025

Henry Kissinger is credited with the following apt phrase: “It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”.

In addition to military conflicts, Donald Trump is also fueling other wars. The trade war with China and many other countries that Trump has started will have a poor chance of being settled soon. Trump announced three days ago:

“Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval from President Xi and me,”

Donald Trump

However, this is typical Donald Trump marketing bluster. An agreement has not yet been reached and Chinese enthusiasm appears to be rather modest. The China Morning Post reports that despite an invitation from his American counterpart Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping will not travel to the United States in September for the UN General Assembly, which would have been the earliest opportunity for such a visit, according to sources. It is June, and the Chinese paper assumes that this meeting will probably take place in November. This is what a cold shower from Beijing feels like.

I may have been wrong in my risk assessment of Iran, but my statements in our article “Mar-al-Lago will fail – nothing works without credibility” from May 7 seem to be more topical than many would like. I argue that the biggest problem facing the US – and the entire Collective West – is the instability of the financial markets. The intended reorganization of the global economic order can only be achieved through negotiations with many partners. The days when the US could dictate to the rest of the world what should happen are over. The US’s position of power during the Bretton Woods negotiations no longer exists and Donald Trump has shown in the last few days that he does not deserve goodwill.

Conclusion

The behavior of the Trump administration in the last few days confirms all those voices that did not trust the hegemon despite the feigned turnaround from Washington.

I don’t know to what extent a bloody war between Israel and Iran lasting years can be prevented. The Iranians will no longer trust the Americans and the Americans will probably soon realize that they allowed themselves to be dragged into this war by Netanyahu. A war that could not only cause lasting damage to the Middle East and the Western financial markets, but also has the potential that I don’t even want to write about.

The Russians will continue to negotiate professionally, both with Ukraine and with the US. From the Russian perspective, form will be maintained. However, the Russians have no illusions about a negotiated peace. They are creating facts on the battlefield and will accept Ukraine’s declaration of surrender at the appropriate time.

In the long term, however, America will be the biggest loser in this smear theater organized by Donald Trump. Even the greatest optimists will no longer trust the US for a long time. The realists have known this for a long time: History teaches that there is no country that has broken more agreements than the US. From 1778 to 1871, the United States signed some 368 treaties with various indigenous peoples on the North American continent. How did that turn out for the indigenous peoples?

Trump Rejects Netanyahu's Request To Join War, As Israel Needs Large US Bunker Buster Bombs

   The "instinct" of Trump is most certainly "no war!". That much must be true but how long can he resist? The man has no strategy, only instincts. He will consequently necessarily, at some stage, be outmaneuvered by people who do have a strategy, and only need to find a weak point to get it implemented. 

   Netanyahu is an extremist, surrounded by other extremists. But he also controls the US Congress in a way Trump doesn't. This gives him extreme and dangerous leverage. He just need to find how to use it effectively. He has, like Zelinski, engaged his country on a path without exit, except with the help of the US. And just like Zelinski, he cannot back down, either now or later. 

  Iran is a large country, that unlike Iraq, cannot easily be defeated. More ominously, neither China nor Russia would let this happen, understanding the consequences. The country can sustain a pounding that Israel cannot being a much smaller and more advanced economy. In a couple of weeks, Iran will be burning all over and still be standing. Israel may not. At which stage Congress will put overwhelming pressure on Trump to intervene.

  This is an extraordinary game of chicken from which it will be extremely difficult to exit. I hope a solution will be found but it is hard to imagine which at this stage. Then the fog of war and the hypothetical black swans could well raise their heads.  

  Just look at how intractable the conflicts in Ukraine and in Gaza have been. We are truly slip-sliding away towards WW3. Nobody wants it, just as WW1, and indirectly WW2. But eventually there might be no other alternative. We have different world views confronting each other. Western hegemony against multi-polarism. It is abstractly what the war in Ukraine is about. It is now more concretely, because oil is involved, what the war in Iran is about. How long before the two concepts are face to face militarily?       

Trump Rejects Netanyahu's Request To Join War, As Israel Needs Large US Bunker Buster Bombs

Latest updates (2015ET):

• In the past 48 hours, Israel has asked the Trump administration to join its war effort, per Axios

• Israel seeks help targeting & destroying the fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site

• Axios says the Trump administration is so far rejecting the Israeli request

• But if Fordow remains intact, Israel's mission to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program will be considered a failure

• AJ: At least 80 people – including 20 children – have been killed in Iran and four in Israel, with hundreds wounded on both sides in the ongoing tit-for-tat attacks.

Axios underscores that "Israel lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground. The U.S. has both within flying distance of Iran."

Meanwhile, the images coming out of Iran show unprecedented and shocking scenes of oil refineries burning uncontrollably while nearby highway traffic has been forcibly stopped...

Via AFP

This Ends in Chaos: Bloodshed and Revolution in Coming Debt Collapse

  As we are plunging towards the maelstrom, this blog will stick to finance and data, my areas of competence. 

  to follow the war in the Middle East, I personally listen to Col. Douglas Macgregor for his outstanding geo-strategic grasp:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgh1T5sSE2U

  and to Scott Ritter for his understanding of nuclear matters and the negotiation process:  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxeATcP-49E

 More generally, I try to stay away from the MSM (main stream medias) which in time of war tend to switch to non-stop propaganda.

  One of the best source in this respect is "Redacted" by Clayton Morris:

   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdhTWJ6YawrVRcYeuCmiK6BLnkSprAtp

 which I follow mostly on Telegram.

This Ends in Chaos: Bloodshed and Revolution in Coming Debt Collapse

Brace yourselves. Tom Bilyeu doesn’t mince words: “We won’t make it to the end of Trump’s term without an extreme debt event.” With U.S. debt at every level spiraling out of control—government, corporate, personal—the only “solution” left is to print our way into oblivion. Money printer go brrr… until the dollar collapses and the wealth gap explodes.

The coming "monetary reset"? Think debt jubilee, not technocratic rebalancing. And history’s lesson? Resets don’t whisper—they roar. French guillotines or American muskets, take your pick. The countdown has begun. Discipline is dead. Stability is a myth. The revolution, financial or otherwise, is next.

You can watch the video on YouTube by following the link above:

Follow Daniela on X: Daniela Cambone

 

 

Five Questions Surrounding Israel's Unprecedented Strikes On Iran

   The below article is interesting because it raises questions about the war in Iran instead of providing answers, which mostly we do not have yet. 

   But one thing is now glaringly obvious: Trump is a fake. In the case of Biden, there always was this question mark that the president was just too old and not really able to take control of the Washington "machinery". With Trump, this is obviously not the case. And still, the Trump administration clearly doesn't control the democrat run cities, nor does it control the republican run congress which controls the purse strings, (by design, so nothing wrong with that except for the fact that Congress is so completely out-of-control) neither obviously now the foreign policy of the US. So what exactly is left?

   But beyond this inconvenient fact which will be duly noted in Beijing, Moscow and other capitals, we are plainly entering a very unstable period of history where markets, economies and whole societies will be destabilized in a mater of months. 

  Both Europe and Japan are already in a recession. The US will follow soon but this time, flooding the economy with liquidity will not do the trick: we're not in 2008 anymore! With no jobs, salaries will stay low while oil, gold and eventually food prices will explode. As usual the pain will propagate from the periphery to the center over a period of months. Or it would if nothing, think "black swan event" takes place. But this is exactly what can be predicted to happen with a high level of confidence. Neither the "what" ror the "when", just the ? being replaced by a ! to paraphrase Victor Hugo. As it is said in Japan: A wasp on a crying face! "泣き面に蜂" (Nakitsura ni hachi)

Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

The answers will determine the course of this crisis...

Israel launched unprecedented strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets early Friday morning. This followed the latest US-Iranian nuclear talks stalling, continued speculation that Iran is secretly building nukes, and growing Israeli anxiety with the situation. From the looks of it, Israel decapitated the Iranian Armed Forces and the IRGC, yet Iran still vowed to retaliate.

The situation is fluid, but as of Friday morning Moscow time, there are five questions whose answers will determine the course of this crisis:

1. To What Extent Did The US Assist Israel?

Trump publicly distanced himself from Israel’s rapid lead-up to these unprecedented strikes, which followed his reported rift with Bibi, but Iranian policymakers have long believed that the US and Israel are iron-clad allies that always work together. Their assessment of the extent to which the US assisted Israel in these strikes will therefore determine the scope and scale of their retaliation. If they conclude that the US played a role, then American military assets in the region and elsewhere might be targeted.

2. What Will Be The Scale & Scope Of Iran’s Retaliation Look Like?

Building upon the above, Iran can either throw everything that it has at Israel if it senses that this is a pivotal moment in their decades-long rivalry or it can carry out a comparatively more restrained retaliation, though the latter might still be exploited as the pretext for follow-up strikes by Israel. Apart from targeting American military assets, Iran could also finally blockade the Strait of Hormuz like it’s long threatened to do, though that could also be exploited as the pretext for direct US military involvement.

3. Will Trump Resist Mission Creep?

Even if the US didn’t assist Israel, Iran shares this view, and American military assets aren’t targeted in its retaliation, Trump might still get dragged into the conflict if the “deep state” convinces him to authorize air defense support of Israel and/or joint offensive operations with it after Iran’s retaliation. He’d risk irreparably splitting his base with all that entails for his movement’s future if he does, particularly if this results in the US’ involvement in a major and costly regional war, so he’d do well to resist mission creep.

4. Why Couldn’t Iran Better Defend Itself?

Initial reports suggest that Israel really did indeed hit Iran very hard, thus raising questions about Iran’s air defense systems. Likewise, there are also questions about why it didn’t preempt Israel’s attack amidst the rapid lead-up in recent days, especially considering how often its representatives talked about Iran supposedly being ready to launch “Operation True Promise 3” at any time. Iran is now weakened and Israel won’t be caught by surprise so the odds of total victory are less in Iran’s favor that before.

5. What Comes Next If A Major Regional War Is Somehow Avoided?

A major regional war can be avoided if Iran doesn’t significantly retaliate against Israel (though a possibly choreographed show might follow), Israel is humbled by Iran’s outmatched retaliation (which the US doesn’t significantly help it defend against), or Iran absorbs Israel’s second blow and doesn’t retaliate. If the nuclear talks aren’t resumed and swiftly lead to a deal on the US’ terms, then a “cold peace” might follow characterized by intense hybrid warfare (sanctions, terrorism, Color Revolution plots) against Iran.

Israel sought to eliminate what it considers to be the existential threat that Iran poses, but the damage that Israel reportedly inflicted on Iran could pose an existential threat to Iran if Israel exploits the aftermath through more strikes and/or hybrid warfare. These zero-sum mutual perceptions of existential threats greatly raise the stakes of this crisis. If Iran doesn’t deliver a knockout blow to Israel (and survive the inevitable retaliation), then Israel might gain the upper hand over it unless Iran soon builds nukes.

Towards WW3?

    The war between Israel and Iran has started. This is the war the Neo-cons wanted following the fall of Syria and Lebanon. Iran is not an easy target and therefore the war will last and could lead to a complete upheaval in the Middle East. 

    The probability of a recession in 2025 was already high, now it's a guaranty and with it, we are one step closer to a complete melt down of the financial market and the expected follow-up reset. But as all catastrophes of this magnitude, this one too will be in slow motion with shock and awe events inter-spaced by short respites.

   Worse, it is now that we will see the consequences of the anti-democratic measures and restrictions of Internet access taken over the last few years. And this too, will be history repeating itself. 

  Let's hope this is not followed in short order by an attack on Taiwan or war between Russia and Europe. The probability of both being relatively low at this stage but circumstances change quickly in time of war.

  As for "ordinary" people not directly involved in the wars yet, now may be a good time to stock up some food, resources and whatever will come handy in more difficult times. As we have been warning for a long time, sooner than later the near future may look very different than what we have been accustomed to. 

  Now, about the war itself, it looks like Israel had been preparing the attack skillfully with no doubt behind the scene help from the US. Conversely, the death of Iranian military leaders looks eerily unbelievable. Watching TV or whatever, with a mobile phone nearby? Maybe, just maybe they should have learned from the experience in Lebanon. Israel warned they were going to attack. In the past, such attacks have ALWAYS been preceded by decapitation and pre-emptive strikes on air defense and other such sites. Well, I don't know much about Islam, but in the real world, there is a Darwin award for those who do not lean in time.

  

US On High Alert In Anticipation Of Potential Israeli Strike On Iran. WaPo Reports

   "Do you feel lucky, punk? Now, do you? "

   However we look at it, the SHTF scenario is about to unfold. The global equation of population, finance and resources has no simple solution. This has happened countless times in the past. Sometimes the outcome was positive, sometimes not. We call this history. We're about to get plenty of "history" in the coming months!

War Brewing? US Prepares Departure Of All Nonessential Staff From Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain Embassies

Is something brewing amid US-Iran tensions, given the stalled nuclear negotiations and ratcheting accusations, demands, and counter-demands? 

The State Department has ordered all embassies within striking distance of Iranian assets - including missions in the Middle East but also Eastern Europe and Northern Africa - to convene emergency action committees (EACs) and send cables back to Washington about measures to mitigate risks. The Associated Press also adds that the US Embassy in Baghdad is preparing to order all nonessential personnel to leave due to potential regional unrest. 

“We are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies,” said a State Department official who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive security matter. “Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq.”

Meanwhile the WaPo - a conduit for the deep state - writes that "the United States is on high alert in anticipation of a potential Israeli strike on Iran, with the State Department authorizing the evacuation of some personnel in Iraq and the Pentagon green-lighting the departure of military family members across the Middle East."

The heightened security environment comes as President Donald Trump expresses dimming hopes of achieving a deal with Iran that would restrict its nuclear program and forestall a potentially cataclysmal new military confrontation in the Middle East.

“I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,” Trump told the New York Post.

In recent months, U.S. intelligence officials have grown increasingly concerned that Israel may choose to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without the consent of the United States. Such a move would almost certainly scuttle the Trump administration’s delicate nuclear negotiations and prompt an Iranian retaliation on U.S. assets in the region.

As GMI summarizes the latest situation: 

• The IDF have elevated their operational readiness. In response, the United States has mirrored this posture, anticipating potential Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
• A senior diplomat, speaking to the Washington Post, stated: “We think it’s more serious than any other time in the past.”
• The U.S. State Department has directed all embassies within Iranian strike range—including several in Europe, to immediately convene Emergency Action Committees and transmit updated risk assessments to Washington.
• The Trump imposed deadline on Iranian nuclear negotiations expires tomorrow, June 12th. U.S. officials speaking to Axios now assess it is increasingly unlikely the sixth round of talks in Oman will proceed as scheduled on Sunday.
• General Kurilla, Commander of U.S. Central Command, has postponed his scheduled testimony before Congress due to mounting tensions across the Middle East.

U.S. Central Command, the military headquarters overseeing the region, is working in close coordination with State Department counterparts and allies to maintain a constant state of readiness to support numerous missions at any time, the official added.

“We are watching and worried,” said one senior diplomat in the region. “We think it’s more serious than any other time in the past.”

Both oil and gold prices spiked on the alarming headlines which suggest new regional conflict could be imminent, with  Israel poised to act...

Gold gaining...

Meanwhile, Iran has urged the United States to prioritize a negotiated solution, with its mission to the United Nations saying that “diplomacy — not militarism — is the only path forward.”

“Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and U.S. militarism only fuels instability,” the Iranian mission warned in a social media statement. 

President Trump has definitely expressed his preference for negotiated solution, but Iran insists that it be able to keep enriching uranium, at least at low levels, as a matter of national sovereignty. 

Iran and the United States are tentatively scheduled to hold a sixth round of direct talks in Oman on Sunday between U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with discussions between their technical teams. But people familiar with the planning said Wednesday that it is possible that talks may not happen.

Trump has described the negotiations, which began in April, as heading in a positive direction and has said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on any military plans. But on Wednesday, Trump said he was “less confident” that Iran would agree to U.S. demands that it completely shut down its nuclear enrichment program.

“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame,” he said. He has frequently said that Iran would never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and threatened military action if an agreement is not reached.

In a post on X Wednesday, Araghchi said that Trump’s demand that Iran not develop a nuclear weapon “is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal. … It is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program is within reach — and could be achieved rapidly,” he said.

Although Witkoff indicated early in the negotiations that some kind of compromise could be reached allowing Iran to continue producing a small quantity of low-level enriched uranium for civil purposes, the administration has since rejected that possibility.

The escalating tension comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors is meeting in Vienna, where Director General Rafael Grossi reported Tuesday that Iran has dramatically increased the amount of near weapons-grade material it possesses.

In a contentious meeting Wednesday, Iran’s envoy to the agency, Reza Najafi, charged the Europeans with violating the decade-old agreement, which technically still remains in effect, claiming they failed to lift all of their own sanctions when the original deal was struck.

In a separate post Wednesday, Araghchi said that “instead of displaying remorse or a desire to facilitate diplomacy,” the Europeans were “promoting confrontation through the absurd demand that Iran must be punished for exercising its right” under the agreement “to respond to non-performance by counterparts.”

If the IAEA governors proceed with plans to vote on a resolution against Iran at the end of their week-long meeting Friday, Araghchi said, Iran will “react STRONGLY. Blame will lie solely and FULLY with malign actors who shatter their own relevance.”