Posted on 04/11/2026 9:21:51 AM PDT by MtnClimber
What does this mean? Perhaps Donald Trump's latest statement is meant to paraphrase a line from the most worthwhile Star Wars film: You have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it further.
Sometime in the next few hours, talks will begin in Islamabad between the US and Iran in an attempt to end the war. Trump agreed to a two-week cease-fire that stopped a massive American attack on energy and transportation infrastructure in exchange for a full re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iranian missile and drone attacks. Not only has Iran not delivered on those points, but its negotiators keep adding conditions and demands: [X post at link]
... These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.”
Needless to say, there is precisely zero chance that the US will release Iran's financial assets, nor will the United Arab Emirates, which apparently froze them when Iran started showering them with missiles and drones. The Iranians did not come to Islamabad because they were winning the conflict. They came to avoid massive destruction, and only avoided it by about 90 minutes through Pakistan's urgent intervention.
Perhaps the regime remnants believe they can work the refs with Trump, or are trying his own Art of the Deal playbook by posturing with extreme demands to push a better deal. The problem with that approach is that the Iranian regime has little left to offer other than terrorism, and even that hasn't deterred the US or Israel. It may, however, have convinced Trump to alter the deal at hand, and especially its window.
Trump told the New York Post that he'll know much sooner than two weeks whether the regime remnants are serious about survival. If not, as he teased on Truth Social at about the same time, he's readying a massive "reset":
“We’re going to find out in about 24 hours. We’re going to know soon,” Trump said in a phone interview when asked if he thought the talks would be successful.
“We have a reset going. We’re loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made — even better than what we did previously and we blew them apart,” he said.
“But we’re loading up the ships. We’re loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we use to do a complete decimation.
“And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively.”
Trump then followed up with a more direct response to the regime's attempts to reframe the context of the talks:
The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Translation: If Iran tries to stall or renegotiate the cease-fire, it will be a very short round of negotiations. The B-52s could be back in the air by this time tomorrow, along with other sorties, perhaps more engaged in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's ability to export oil. The US staged demonstration strikes on Kharg Island just before the cease-fire went into effect, and that apparently pushed the regime toward negotiations.
Abbas Araghchi should understand the message. He tried blustering his way with Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the talks that took place on February 28, when Araghchi told Witkoff that there was nothing we could do about Iran's nuclear-weapons program. That ended badly for Ali Khamenei and most of the regime's top IRGC leadership.
In fact, perhaps the IRGC thinks Araghchi learned too much from that last round of talks with the US. The Jerusalem Post reports that current IRGC chief and Nepo Babytollah sock-puppeteer Ahmad Vahidi wants to shuffle the deck in Islamabad to include more hardliners in the Iranian contingent:
The sources shared that IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi is attempting to curb the authority of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran International wrote.
Vahidi has called for the inclusion of Mohammad Bagheer Zolghadr on the negotiating team, whom Iran International previously reported had been appointed Secretary of the National Security Council as a direct result of IRGC pressure on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The negotiating team has been pushing back against the demand, as they consider Zolghadr too inexperienced for strategic negotiations.
Vahidi wants to limit the scope of the talks as well:
The IRGC commander-in-chief and the IRGC Aerospace Commander have also insisted that the delegation refuse to negotiate on Iran’s missile program, according to Iran International.
If Vahidi wants to learn the same lesson Araghchi did in February, he's welcome to try. The Gulf states will not stand for a deal that doesn't impose severe limits on Iran's missile and drone capacities after experiencing the threat they represent first-hand in this war. Neither will Israel, not even if Trump is inclined to push that issue off – and there is no indication he is so inclined at all.
Essentially, this is the very same situation in which Iran found itself six weeks ago. Did they learn anything from that lesson? As Trump suggests, we should know pretty soon, and the consequences will likely follow as quickly as on February 28, if not more so. If nothing else, we'll see who plays Darth Vader and who plays Lando Calrissian in this round.
Yes.
Say what you mean.
The historical definition has been supplanted by a modern and less specific definition, which Trump uses here.
thx 4 your post
I think this is why Trump said they would know immediately whether the talks would accomplish anything. The fact that the IRGC sent their own “minders” with the negotiators tells us everything we need to know. The IRGC runs Iran right now, not any “talkers”. Trump knows that, knows that the regime lies about everything, and I think pretty much knows that they will not surrender but this ceasefire gives the US the avenue through which they could have surrendered if they weren’t suicidal maniacs. And this gives the US time to reload for the final battle.
My question was whether we would feel obliged to give them all 2 weeks of the ceasefire to change their minds. It sounds like Trump is saying that as soon as we know there is an impasse the ceasefire is off.
Their enriched uranium might be diluted by bombing sites with fluorine bombs and vaporizing D-UF6 bombs.
The ceasefire might have given us a few days to remove mines from the Strait.
There is much more going on behind the scenes than is apparent. But this problem would not have gone on for as long as it has if there was a simple solution. I am confident that the primary purpose of this exercise will be achieved. Whether or not President Trump will be given the credit he deserves is a much iffier prospect. But despite his flamboyant style I do not believe that this is hos primary motivation.
I like ‘obliterated’.
Im no fan of the cease fire either..I want the regime destroyed, the fact that yes many of them are dead but some are still standing, pisses me off
As a retired Latin teacher I must agree. You are right. What decimation meant in a previous age and what it means today are two different things. Sadly, most Americans have little to no grasp of history or historical terminology. The purists among us must adjust to modernity or, consequently, take on the much greater responsibility for teaching the new generation the old ways, the old knowledge.
Decimation was not against opposing forces. It was the punishment of the Romans forces that showed cowardness or disobeyed orders. The remaining 90% were required to kill the 10% of their fellow troops.
This guy couldn’t even get a direct quote right:
“You have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it further.”
Should be “I have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it further.”
SMH.
If Iran refuses to be reasonable in these talks, maybe the US should take over Kharg Island. I think this conflict was probably not a good idea in the first place, but we can’t leave things as they are now. Boots on the ground in a limited way may be the only way forward. Occupy Kharg Island, bomb the hell out of Iran’s capacity to launch missile or drone attacks on Kharg Island and choke off Iran’s ability to ship oil.
Okay, for the millionth time, decimation does not mean in English what it did in Latin 2000 years ago. Neither does aggravate (to make heavier), obvious (in the way or met on the road), or species (appearance, sight, or beauty.)
Unless the Opitio is eyeing you as he’s picking out nine other dudes in your cohort, you can let it go.
Another thing Mahyar Tousi points out is that the regime set up their own demise by broadcasting a bunch of propaganda claiming they are winning. The IRGC-supporting people in Iran think the negotiators are coming back with a US surrender. If they come back with anything less than that, anybody who supported the idea of negotiations will die at the hands of these deluded suicidal maniacs.
He also notes that they shot themselves in the foot, also, by bringing in supporters from iraq, Afghanistan, & Pakistan. A lot of people who aren’t IRGC supporters still think they should support their country against foreign invaders. Right now the country has lots of foreign invaders, including those from Iraq, which all of iran united to war against in the Iraq-Iran War. Only 15% of Iranians actually support the regime but amongst the 85% that don’t support the regime, some of them feel like traitors if they don’t go against foreign invaders. Those people now see there is no way to keep from siding with foreign invaders, even if you refuse to rise up against the regime.
That’s what Madura thought. Good thing Trump has all the Venezuelan oil coming to America and not China.
Unless the horse is Incitatus, then it’s beating a dead senator.
People may change how they choose to use words, but etymology doesn’t change.
Israel has good on-the-ground info from inside I-ran. Perhaps they, with the US, can begin the next assault by targeting the locations of the hardliners. If they be underground, use the bunker busters again, if that looks effective.
Really?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.