PODCAST:
April 1, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson speak with Jerome Bellion-Jourdan, senior fellow at the Institute for Global Negotiations. They discuss ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran, and the impact of military action.
IRAN ~ President Donald Trump is signaling that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran may come to an end soon, claiming on Truth Social Wednesday morning that Iran’s president has asked for a ceasefire.
“Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote. “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”
Iran gave no immediate comments, though the nation’s leadership has consistently denied having any direct negotiations with the U.S. since the war began over a month ago, only communicating through mediators. Trump recently proposed a 15-point ceasefire plan that Iranian officials called “extremely maximalist and unreasonable.”
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to the U.S., Israel, and their allies in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli offensive strikes. This has caused distruptions to the global supply chain and skyrocketing gas prices in the U.S.
Speaking to reporters in the White House on Tuesday, Trump claimed that “we’ll be leaving very soon” when discussing Iran, later adding that the U.S. could end its military bombardment “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three.” The president even said that a diplomatic agreement between Iran and the U.S. is not needed to end hostilities.
“Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no,” Trump said. “No, they don’t have to make a deal with me.”
The death toll in the region continues to rise, with U.S.-Israeli strikes killing over 1,900 people in Iran. Israel’s bombardment of neighboring Lebanon has killed over 1,100 people. Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed dozens across the region in Kuwait, Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Qatar.
