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Posted on 04/18/2026 8:23:02 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
President Trump convened an extraordinary Saturday morning meeting in the White House situation room to discuss next steps as the situation in Iran teeters between a peace deal and a resumption of war. The specific subjects under discussion were the status of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian responses to some U.S. proposals. Quite honestly, I imagine one key subject of discussion was "who the hell is calling the shots in Iran?" Because from an outsider's point of view, it looks like the 95 IQ types in the government think they are in charge, but actions on the ground indicate it is the 65 IQ, bearded, sheep-fondlers with guns who are making the decisions.
In attendance were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House Iran negotiator Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratliffe, and Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine. Notably absent was Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
As we've posted here on RedState, the mood this week has swung between near euphoric (Trump Cheers Strait of Hormuz Reopening During Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire — but There’s a Big Catch – RedState) and resigned to war (Iranian Navy Fires On Two Vessels in Strait of Hormuz, Demonstrating That Waterway Is Not Open – RedState). Saturday, The Times reported that Iran had put the kibosh on Trump's statement that Iran had agreed to give up its enriched uranium.
Right now, the White House seems to be leaning toward resuming hostilities. President Trump has set a deadline of Wednesday for a deal (Trump: I Will End Ceasefire Wednesday Unless Deal Done — but Xi's 'Very Happy' As Hormuz Reopens – RedState) and the U.S. Navy is moving ahead with plans to seize "dark fleet" and Iranian ships no matter where they are in the world; see Report: Trump Planning to Drop Another Hammer on Iran and Their Ships – RedState.
The mood following the situation room meeting was grim. Trump said that Iran can't 'blackmail' the U.S, "They wanted to close up the Strait again, as they've been doing for years, but they can't blackmail us."
⭕️ President Donald Trump convened a White House Situation Room meeting Saturday to address the escalating Strait of Hormuz crisis and stalled Iran talks, Axios reports.
The ceasefire is set to expire in three days, raising fears of renewed war if no deal is reached.
A source familiar with the talks told the outlet that Iran’s threat to re-close the strait and reported attacks on two vessels came just hours after some progress was made on “narrowing the gaps regarding Iran's uranium enrichment and its enriched uranium stockpile,” according to Axios.Trump told reporters Tehran “got a little cute” and said it “can’t blackmail us,” while adding he expects to know by day’s end whether talks will move forward. pic.twitter.com/UKnt76xiFb— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) April 18, 2026
TRUMP: We have very good conversations going on. It’s working out very well. They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years. Nobody ever took them on. We took them on.
They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no leaders, they have no nothing. Actually, their leaders are… it is regime change. You call that enforced regime change. But we’re talking to them.
They wanted to close up the strait again — as they’ve been doing for years — and again, blackmail us. In fact, a lot of ships are coming up to Texas and Louisiana. I don’t know if you know. The ships are coming up. If they get used to it, maybe they’ll keep doing it. It’s worked out pretty good. But it’s going along, actually, very well, and we’ll see. We’ll have some information by the end of the day. We’re talking to them.
We’ll have some information by the end of the day. We’re talking to them, we’re taking a tough stand. They’ve killed a lot of people. A lot of our people have been killed. A lot of your fellow soldiers have been killed over the years by Iran. The roadside bombs. Soleimani. I killed Solemani.
UNKNOWN: Explosively formed penetrators. They were making them in Iran and bringing them into Iraq and blasting them through vehicles.
He was the father of the roadside bomb, essentially. He killed a lot of people, and when you see soldiers and others, but soldiers generally walking around with no legs, with no arms, with a face that has been smashed, that was Solemani, that was Iran that did that. So we have a much different view on it than other presidents. They’ve gotten away with murder for 47 years; they’re not getting away with it any longer.
While Trump said there were "good conversations going on," an Italian outlet quotes someone they refer to as the "ayatollah" as saying Trump "talks too much."
As I pointed out in Iran Is a Dishonest and Delusional Negotiating Partner and We Can't Let Them Control the Narrative – RedState, not only can Iran not be trusted to keep any deal it makes, its view of the landscape might as well be in a different universe from the one everyone else inhabits. To make matters worse, it really isn't clear who we should be negotiating with, or even if anyone can negotiate on behalf of Iran; see Here's More Evidence the Iranian Regime Is Fracturing and in Trouble as Trump Holds Its Feet to the Fire – RedState.
I think there is a greater than 50-50 chance that nothing happens today to "bend the arc of history" towards a lasting peace deal, and even less of a chance that something happens before Wednesday's deadline.
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There better be donuts.
The Persians are not low IQ Arabs.....
Three days to flatten the curve.
An abnormally high level of Pizza deliveries to the Pentagon tonight?
Bend the arc of history?!
LOL
The islamists have been trying to bend the West into oblivion for 1,400 years. If they actually agree to a deal and stick to it, it’s only temporary. This is an endless religious war. They take Allah’s commands with the utmost degree of seriousness.
Given the range of the Iranian missiles, there is no particular merit in trying to sanitize the shorelines.
It’s a big country. Just about the size of Alaska. Lots of places to hide.
They’ll never attack Israel. Israel would have no issues nuking Iran.
And if I ran since missile strikes into New York City, who cares?
Seek help for your TDS, you demented, insurrectionist maggot.
The question is, who is he negotiating with?
The IRGC is the strongest militarily, but they are not the government, thus aren’t the negotiators. The official government, such as it is, doesn’t have a strong military and can’t force the IRGC to do it’s bidding.
So the IRGC is sort of like Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Taliban in Afghanistan. The official government doesn’t control it.
And they are rabid, true believer, religious fanatics who are not easily dissuaded. Like the taliban, Hamas and hezbollah, they are going to be a tough nut to crack.
IQ (Lynn/Becker)
Japan: 106
USA: 97
Israel: 92
Mexico: 87
Turkey: 87
Bahrain: 83
UAE: 82
Iran: 80
Pakistan: 80
Indonesia: 78
Saudi Arabia: 76
The Persians are low IQ Moslems. Mexicans and Turks are smarter than they are.
You’re an ignorant shitforbrains. Get help.
“Based on 2025–2026 International IQ Test data, Iran ranks among the top countries globally with an average IQ of approximately 104–106, driven by high educational standards. In contrast, studies focusing on Palestinian regions suggest a significantly lower average, with some estimates for Gaza around 68–77, heavily influenced by extreme environmental, educational, and socioeconomic stressors.
Muslim Network TV
Muslim Network TV
+4
IQ Distribution Context:
Iran (approx. 104.8–106.3): Studies place Iran among the top 5 globally, with strong cognitive performance attributed to its education and healthcare infrastructure, with some variation by region (e.g., higher in the South, lower in Central areas).
Gaza/Palestine (approx. 68–77): Estimates for Palestinian territories, particularly in studies often cited in specialized intelligence research, indicate a lower average, sometimes linked to significant socioeconomic disruption.
PubMed Central (PMC) (.gov)
PubMed Central (PMC) (.gov)
+4”
So sez Google AI, for what it is worth....
Trump summoned a demon and, sure enough, you showed up.
Who do you worship, Trump or God?
What sets us apart from Democrats is we will criticize our side if we see something wrong. And that picture is very wrong. You can call us names all you want.
>> And that picture is very wrong.
Why?
We’re not fighting the population of Iran, we’re fighting the installed leadership.
The only way the islamists gained power in the first place was with the help of the CIA and other lowlifes.
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