Jonathan Karl is not known for his pragmatic pontification, however in the framework of what comes next following the U.S. bombing of Iran, he’s correct.  The next move is entirely up to Iran, and for the moment that puts the decision to escalate outside the control of President Trump.

As Karl outlines, President Trump was adamant the strikes against the Iranian nuclear sites were “one and done.”  However, the underlying consideration in the background was the contingency planning for what comes next.  As Karl accurately notes, this puts the power of escalation in the hands of Iran.  If Iran strikes U.S. military facilities, President Trump will be pulled into a larger military response, and so – the potential for the escalation spiral begins.

ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl spoke to President Donald Trump about what he hopes these attacks on Iran will accomplish.  WATCH:

I think most agree that we do not want to see Iran gaining nuclear weapons power.  However, most Americans also do not want to get pulled into a protracted conflict in the middle east again.  It is a tenuous moment.

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There are many critical interviews today that will be highlighted.  We are at an important geopolitical inflection point with multiple consequences amid each chosen path.

The bombing of Iran has united the neocon pro-war groups within the Senate and legislative branch (pro-Ukraine, Pro-Israel) which may assist President Trump’s primary objective to get the Big Beautiful Bill over the finish line. That can be a big short-term strategic benefit, if the operational strikes on Iran do not escalate into a regional conflict.

That said, Secretary of State/National Security Advisor Marco Rubio is the principal person to watch as President Trump’s geopolitical agenda is carried out.  Here he is talking to CFR Maria Bartiromo in his first comments after the strike took place.  “No regime change” but the era of “playing games” is over. WATCH:

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Via President Trump on Truth Social:

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UPDATE:

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Multiple media reports are now outlining the movement of U.S. B-2 Stealth Bombers amid the possibility of strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.   However, despite what many media outlets might narrate, there is no way to determine the intent of the movements until some type of action actually takes place.  It is all supposition.

The media are giddy with excitement.

Daily Mail – Deadly stealth bombers, which only the US has in their arsenal, are on their way to a US Air Force base in Guam amid growing tensions with Iran, according to reports.

Six B-2 stealth bombers, docked at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, appeared to be on the move on Saturday morning, according to Fox News.

The bombers are said to have been refueled, which means they could have launched without full tanks due to the extraordinarily heavy bunker-buster bombs.

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President Trump holds an impromptu press conference from the airport in Morristown, New Jersey.  After making a few announcements about peace between Congo and Rwanda, President Trump took questions from the assembled press pool.

As we have mentioned before, there is a transparent effort by the mainstream media and their aligned allies in the intelligence bureaucracy to get DNI Tulsi Gabbard removed.  President Trump is again questioned about Gabbard’s statements from March where she repeated an Intelligence Community assessment that Iran was not currently building a nuclear weapon.  President Trump accepts the misleading question and responds by saying, “she’s wrong.”

President Trump’s admonishment of the manufactured statement is then amplified by the Israel-First group, which includes Laura Loomer and Mark Levin, both ‘influencers’ hoping to see Tulsi Gabbard removed, and replaced with a more pro-Israel, pro-war intelligence head.  Watching this unfold is quite remarkable.

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The White House is now saying Iran has everything they need to build a nuclear weapon, the only remaining factor is when to assemble it. “Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that.”

Press Secretary Leavitt then announced President Trump will make the decision to conduct U.S. military strikes within two weeks. “Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place in the near future, I will make my decision of whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.

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In the beginning of this discussion we might discover the deeper motive for President Trump to support Israeli strikes against Iran.

Remember, President Trump proactively defused any reactionary Russian response by talking directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to the eruption of conflict inside Iran. That discussion puts the Chinese interests into a somewhat isolated position.  From recent Trump comments we can also see the carrot of sanction removal at play.

China has significant economic exposure within Beijing’s financial ties to Iran. With 90% of Iranian oil production fueling the Chinese economy any disruption would have considerable impact. As Gordon Chang notes in the interview with Maria Bartiromo, no one knows what China is currently sending into Iran via air cargo flights over the past several days. WATCH:

The surface benefit to Israeli attacks against Iran is the elimination of the nuclear threat.  The underlying benefit from a USA perspective is the weakening of Chinese economic power that comes as an outcome of the current Iranian regime.

Chang is correct to put emphasis on these mysterious cargo flights.

The USA drone war capability has been tested in Ukraine and Russia.  That capability, an enhanced capability thanks to the work of Palantir, could very well be deployed deep inside Iran as the IDF retains total air dominance.  Palantir (Peter Thiel and Alex Karp) are ideologically aligned with the goals and objectives of Israel.

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President Trump participated in a flagpole raising celebration earlier today at the White House.  During the installation, President Trump delivered remarks to the media and took questions from the assembled press pool.  WATCH: 

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I post the direct statements from President Trump on the calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin because if you read the background, both before and after the Israel strike operation, you can clearly see the strategy. [Check Dates]

President Trump is doing what modern U.S officials never did, showing respect to the aligned nuclear powers and positioning any action for the least amount of geopolitical collateral damage.  President Trump knows one of the key geopolitical influences upon Iran is the Russian Federation.

You do not have to be pro or anti-Trump to understand how executive level respect and diplomacy works. This is why the leadership of the Russian Federation respect Trump (firm but thoughtful), even if they are in opposition to his positions.

Remember the statements yesterday in Canada, at the G7, specifically about the Russian sanctions.  These statements above should be read with the context of before and after the strikes in Iran began; then overlay the statements yesterday about the sanctions.  There is a very clear message conveyed.

President Trump does not want a targeted problem to escalate into a regional geopolitical conflict.  So, he takes proactive and ongoing steps to ensure containment.  This is the part that French President Macron (doofus) cannot intellectually conceptualize; hence, President Trump’s curt remarks.

Even before the Israeli operation against Iran began, President Trump draws safe proactive perimeters that all traditional agents of governmental influence can understand.

Like you, I completely do not want expanded conflict that could potentially draw the U.S. into something far more dangerous.  However, I also don’t see that as a likely outcome.  President Trump is in the support position to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons from Iran; let him work without our dark imaginings injecting something that does not exist.

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With the unusual conflicting information coming from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, about the lower confidence level in Iran’s weaponized nuclear weapons program; and contrast against the weird video she recently posted about Japan and the use of nuclear weapons; and considering that CIA Director John Ratcliffe has remained completely silent (although not surprising for him) about the Iranian nuclear program; there is the potential for this otherwise ordinary senate hearing to deliver some surprises.

DNI Tulsi Gabbard is the only administration official who has said publicly she did not think Iran was trying to develop a nuclear weapon.  President Trump dismissed a question about the intelligence conflict last night, saying “I don’t care what she said, I think they were very close to getting one.”

As DNI, Gabbard has made some strong moves over the past three months in support of President Donald Trump, including the interception of an impeachment construct within the National Intelligence Council inside the CIA, and the beginning deconstruction of the Obama era Intel Community Inspector General (ICIG) construct.

DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director Ratcliffe will testify together in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee at 10:30am today. It will be interesting to see if the subject of Iran and Israel is brought up by the Senators.  [Livestream Links Below]  WATCH: The senate just changed the hearing to “closed” status.

FUBAR!

I was hoping we would see Ratcliffe and Gabbard questioned together about the same issue.

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