timelets

President Donald Trump said he was in “heated negotiations” involving the war with Iran after mediator Pakistan asked for a two-week extension of his Tuesday deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-07/us-strikes-kharg-island-as-trump-says-iran-could-die-tonight

Trump said: “To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.”

Asked about the state of Iranian defence on Kharg Island he said: “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”

https://www.ft.com/content/3bd9fb6c-2985-4d24-b86b-23b7884031f5?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command (Centcom), said Sunday... some of those islands you could seize and hold.
“First of all, it would be profoundly humiliating for Iran and would give us great weight in negotiations. The second, the example of Kharg Island, which everyone talks about, if you seize Kharg Island, you really can shut down the Iranian oil economy completely. And the beauty of seizing it is, you’re not destroying it,” he said.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5806811-mckenzie-us-iran-raids/

At around 6:50 a.m. in New York, S&P 500 e-Mini futures trading on the CME recorded a sharp and isolated jump in volume.
A similar pattern was observed in oil markets.
Roughly 15 minutes later, at 7:05 a.m., Trump posted a market-moving announcement about Iran on Truth Social.


At around 6:50 a.m. in New York, S&P 500 e-Mini futures trading on the CME recorded a sharp and isolated jump in volume, breaking from an otherwise subdued premarket backdrop.
A similar pattern was observed in oil markets. West Texas Intermediate May futures also saw a noticeable pickup in trading activity at roughly the same time, with a distinct volume spike interrupting otherwise quiet conditions.

Roughly 15 minutes later, at 7:05 a.m., Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. and Iran had held talks and that he was halting planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/volume-in-stock-and-oil-futures-surged-minutes-before-trumps-market-turning-post.html

MAGA remains behind Trump and the war. They have confidence in him, even when they think it might last a long time, and they overwhelmingly approve of how he's handling the situation.

Contextually, this pattern of support from MAGA is in keeping with what we've seen on other matters — across all subjects, including military ones — over the years.

President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” US military efforts against Iran, saying that the US was close to achieving its objectives as the conflict, which has roiled financial markets and the region, nears a fourth week.

“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!” Trump said. “If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them.”

Trump, a little over an hour before his social media post, had rejected the idea of declaring a halt to hostilities and expressed confidence Hormuz would reopen “itself” despite allies’ reluctance to offer assistance.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-20/trump-says-he-doesn-t-want-ceasefire-in-iran-conflict

Preparations for a major military operation typically involve weeks or months of deliberations, written options papers, dissenting views from officials across different agencies, and meetings with the National Security Council. But according to administration officials, planning for the Iran operation was handled by a much smaller circle.

This included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. While this allowed Trump to limit leaks and move quickly as events shifted, it also narrowed the range of advice and dissent that reached the president as he weighed the risks of attacking Iran.

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/five-takeaways-from-wsjs-reporting-on-trumps-decision-to-launch-a-war-in-iran-8ac226eb

His focus on winning over Trump was a departure from his long-held view that the path to influence in Washington ran through American voters. Netanyahu was a frequent guest on cable news, arguing Israel’s case directly to the public.

This time, he has taken an unusual back-seat role in driving the public rhetoric in the U.S. Netanyahu has emphasized Trump’s central role in the war and credited the president with key decisions, portraying him as the driving force behind the effort against Iran. In television interviews and public statements, Netanyahu has stressed that Trump acts in America’s interests and makes his own decisions.

That approach is playing to Trump’s instincts. “He has figured out how to persuade and partner with and flatter Trump in ways that have been extremely effective in advancing his goals,” said Daniel Shapiro, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-finally-got-what-he-wanted-on-iran-by-appealing-to-an-audience-of-one-a0d39c7b

President Trump said in the Oval Office that he believed Iran was “going to attack first,” as he discussed his reason for striking Iran.

That perspective developed during negotiations with Tehran, he said.

“We were having negotiations with these lunatics,” he said, referring to Iran. “It was my opinion that they were going to attack first.”

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-israel-us-strikes-2026/card/trump-says-he-thought-iran-was-going-to-attack-first--4ELJsHHebf6NV5Je3uF2