The radio presenter said that the US and Israel were ‘plotting’ a resumption of hostilities. It’s not ‘plotting’ if the resumption is being signalled very clearly: it’s planning. The Iranians are definitely signalling engagement; the Pakistanis are definitely signalling engagement; the US might accept some form of reparations to Iran, they clearly think there’s some possibility of the Iranians accepting a ‘moratorium’ on enriching uranium for a period of years. If the US thinks a bit more hard pounding would bring General Vahidi to a more receptive frame of mind, though, they might need to manage expectations.

A lot of this ratcheting from Israel is happening in Lebanon and Gaza. A lot of the ratcheting from Iran is happening in the UAE. There’s also the constant Israeli pressure seeking to provoke and suppress a West Bank uprising; that’s going to be its own podcast, though.

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