Thursday, April 23, 2026, Paris

President Donald Trump and Israel continued to wave their sabres. Trump posted a message on Truth Social calling for an attack on Iran’s leadership while Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz said it was eager for war:

We are waiting for the green light from the U.S., first and foremost, to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty and to return Iran to the dark and stone ages by destroying Iran's major energy and power facilities. This time, our strikes will be different and more deadly, and will deliver further devastating blows to the most painful places, which will shake and collapse the regime's foundations.

The tough talk came shortly after Iran paraded weapons through the streets of Tehran in a supposed show of strength right out of the autocrat’s handbook.

On tonight’s France 24, I joined host Francois Picard, geopolitical analuyst Paymon Azmoudeh, former French ambassador to Lebanon Patrice Paoli, and former Pakistani ambassador to the US Aizaz Ahmad Chaudry for a lively and informartive discussion about whether diplomacy can avert the path to a renewal of war and a dangerous escalation.

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