Beneath the FloorBoards

June 22—President Donald Trump’s first choice, in 2017, to be his National Security Advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, put out a statement on his Substack dated June 21, urging the President “in the strongest possible terms … to declare that the United States will not initiate the use of nuclear weapons against Iran. I would not recommend waiting two weeks to make that announcement; I would urge him to do this now. It is time to slam shut and nail down the top on the Pandora’s Box that contains dreaded nuclear weapons.”

General Flynn wrote that he is responding to Newsweek and Fox News on June 20 combining their “maniacal reporting” to produce a sentence alleging the Administration “has not taken anything off the table, including the use of tactical nuclear weapons.” He reminded that “tactical nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons,” and that “This type of maniacal reporting has been taken seriously by Russia,” and also by Pakistan. But Flynn did not refer to the state that is actually most likely to use nuclear weapons against Iranian nuclear facilities, and whose capability to do this actually drew the counter-threat from Pakistan, namely Israel.

Nonetheless, Flynn is urging Trump to do something the President is saying he can’t do. However sources say he has done just that, when in choosing the war plan for an attack on Iran's nuclear sites, which was executed yesterday, Trump had removed the use of tactical nukes as an option.

The Hill reported that Trump responded to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s demand that the United States call for a ceasefire to restart negotiations, saying today: “I think it’s very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we’re ready, willing and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens.”

The leader most capable of talking Trump down off the ledge of world war is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who continues to offer that his negotiations with all the parties could bring about a solution with the potential to end the fighting. 

June 22—U.S. President Donald Trump was joined by Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House:

“Thank you very much.

“A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.

“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

“For 40 years, Iran has been saying death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over a thousand people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate.

“In particular, so many were killed by their General Qasem Soleimani. I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue. I want to thank and congratulate [Israeli] Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team. Like perhaps no team has ever worked before. And we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel.

“I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done. And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades.

“Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that’s so. I also want to congratulate the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan ‘Razin’ Caine—spectacular general—and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack.

“With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.

“There is no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago.

“Tomorrow, General Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, will have a press conference at 8 a.m. at the Pentagon. And I want to just thank everybody, and in particular, God.

“I want to just say, we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel, and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.”

June 22—President Donald Trump yesterday afternoon ordered U.S. strikes on 3 Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, including Fordow, embedded deep in a mountain, using precision heavy munitions, including 15-ton bunker buster bombs.

The attacks followed a war plan already put in placed by Trump, which rejected the option of using tactical nuclear weapons, and were carried out solely by U.S. forces, and not jointly with Israeli aircraft, as Israel's messianic Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu had requested, sources report.

At 7:50 p.m. EDT, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Sources report that 6 bunker buster bombs were used, and that preliminary evaluation, from satellite imagery as well as on the ground reporting from agents and assets, is that the targets, including the embedded Fordow site, were totally or mostly destroyed. Other sources, however, that such reports are preliminary and further work will have to be done to reach a proper conclusion.

Deal Collapse After Ayatollah’s Rejection

These sources report that Trump made the decision after he was informed by his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been conducting furious negotiations with various parties, including the Iranians, the Omanis, the Russians and others to strike an acceptable deal that would end Iran's nuclear weapons program, that the outline for a deal that could be quickly worked up and signed had been accepted by the Iranian government, but was rejected by the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was Witkoff's opinion that no deal was possible within the 2-week timeframe that Trump had set for his decision on whether to strike Iran.

Then let's go now, the President said, according to sources, after he confirmed that resources were already in place and the attack could go on his command.

Trump Declares “Spectacular Success,” Warns Iran

At 10:00 pm EDT, Trump spoke to the nation, declaring the operation a “spectacular success,” that hit the “world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” saying, “They must now make peace.” He congratulated Bibi Netanyahu and the Israeli military, saying we “worked like a team, as never before,” and congratulated the American military and the “wonderful machines” which dropped the bombs, saying “hopefully we’ll no longer need their services in this capacity,” but threatening that “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”

Axios News reported that Trump had informed Israel prior to the strikes, quoting a senior Israeli official. Citing unnamed sources, CBS News reports that the U.S. sent a message to Iran following tonight’s strikes, insisting that they were limited to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and that Washington is not seeking regime change, in an apparent attempt at de-escalation.

Putin Briefed; Russian Response Mixed

Other sources report that Trump also informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of his intention to strike the nuclear sites, stressing that he does not want to destroy the nation of Iran or plunge it into chaos, and that American attacks were limited to its nuclear program. Thus far, there has been no direct response to the attack from Putin himself.

But one of Putin's allies, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has offered a blunt—and bleak—assessment: "Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the U.S. With this kind of success, Trump won't win the Nobel Peace Prize."

"Iran's political regime has been preserved, and it is highly likely that it has become stronger," Medvedev said. "The people are consolidating around the spiritual leadership, even those who did not sympathize with it."

Medvedev also said that Iran's nuclear infrastructure did not appear to be seriously affected by the U.S. strikes, and that the U.S. was in danger of being drawn into a ground operation.

Fears of Wider War and Questions About Strategy

The Russian leader will have a chance to assert some influence in the crisis. The Russians had been working hard on the deal which Witkoff said was rejected by the Ayatollah. The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has also wanted a deal rather war to settle the matter, will head a delegation to Moscow for consultations with Putin and others.

The U.S. is now bracing for some kind of Iranian response, which sources hope might be limited to military targets. "Trump can then bluster and strike something," said a source, "but it need not spill over into civilian targets, which would complicate possible future negotiations."

These sources worry that Trump might stumble further into the trap set for him by Bibi and his British/NATO sponsors. The more he becomes involved in what Bibi wants to be a forever war in the region, the more Trump separates himself form his political base, and potentially set himself up for assassination—not from Iran, as fake Israeli and NATO intelligence says—but from the same NATO assassination bureau, which were behind the attacks on him last summer.

"Unless the plug is pulled on this war soon," a source concluded, "the fear is its sets in motion a deadly endgame of terror and war in the region, and around the world. That's the universe NATO wants to create with its puppets like Bibi and its dictator in Ukraine [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy."

This and other sources doubted that anyone, the U.S. included, could militarily destroy Iran's ability to produce a nuclear weapon. The Iranians said today that much of the equipment and most of the personnel had been evacuated to other sites before the attack. But more importantly, Iran as an advanced nation with a large scientific cadre, especially of young people, possesses the know how to build a bomb, with the help of any fast computer bought on Ebay or Amazon. "The only solution is a diplomatic one," said the source. "You have to give them a reason not to build or use a bomb. And then of course, you have the knowledge that Israel has nuclear weapons and a secret nuclear program. Somehow, its okay for a nation committing genocide against the Palestinian people to have a bomb, but Iran cannot?"

June 20—The White House announced last night that President Donald Trump had delayed a final decision on whether he would order U.S. forces to join Israel in its war against Iran.

Sources close to the White House report that Trump, who doubts the ultimate effectiveness of using U.S.-delivered 15-ton bunker buster bombs on Iran's Fordow nuclear site—embedded 300 feet in a mountain near Qom—fears that effectively destroying that and other nuclear sites would require ground troops to mop up, troops he does not want to deploy. More importantly, these sources say, the President now fully believes that Israel's messianic Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, while claiming he launched the war to prevent an Iranian bomb, is in fact on a crusade to destroy Iran as a viable nation—something Trump does not support and wants to prevent.

Backchannel Diplomacy and a Race Against Time

Trump reportedly opted to delay his decision after hearing from his Special Envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, who has been furiously involved in backchannel negotiations with the Iranians to end their nuclear program and the war. These negotiations have also involved "interested" third parties, including Russia and China, who have been working behind the scenes to end the conflict. Sources report that Witkoff believes he can present Trump with a workable deal within that time frame. When Trump says he is tired of the endless talks—which have reached an impasse over uranium enrichment and sanctions relief—it means he wants to be presented with a deal that all parties can sign.

The Iranian Foreign Minister met with several of his European counterparts this morning, achieving little more than simply having a meeting. The Iranians later stated they will discuss nothing while under Israeli bombardment, though they expressed a desire to resume talks with the U.S., acknowledging that the Europeans can do little more than "pass gas in this," as one source put it.

Concerns Over Regime Change and Civil War

Trump has also expressed reservations about what are now clear efforts by the Israelis to seek regime change in Tehran, which would see the removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump leaked through sources to the media last night that he was concerned such a pursuit would produce "a Libya" in Iran—plunging the nation into ungovernable chaos and civil war, as happened when the U.S. helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in 2010, ultimately leading to the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in 2012.

Sources say such statements from Trump indicate he is listening, so far, to the advice of saner advisors and not the religious fundamentalist fanatics—including elements in the State Department—who want the U.S. to come in full bore on the side of the Israelis, potentially creating a forever war in Iran.

A Path to Peace or a Descent into Chaos?

"Bibi would like nothing better than to turn Iran into a charnel house of warring factions that would kill millions of Iranians in bloody civil war," said a source with 50 years of expertise in the region. "There is no one, and no institutions, that can rise to the power of the Ayatollah and the mullahs on the scene there. You force these people out, killing many of them, and you have a religious war that also involves Israel. Trump has said, while he has little use for the Ayatollah and the regime, that he loves the 'great Iranian people.' He does not want civil war, and the way to prevent that is to force a negotiated end to the nuclear weapons program."

"It’s likely that, when this is done, Ali Khamenei is gone and the mullahs will choose a new Ayatollah—one with no connections to this disastrous war or the bloody war with Iraq in the 1980s," said the source, who added that Bibi had helped in this process by killing most of the remaining military leaders linked to the Iraq war. "The new leader will be more flexible and less dogmatic, in hopes of appealing to the huge young generation. But he will also keep the fatwa in place against the development or use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons."

"Trump should not listen to the collection of neo-con fools that flutter around the White House and call for regime change," the source concluded. "There is no one in Iran who could hold the country together. Ironically, Trump—if he can get help from the Russians, return Iran to prosperity and cooperative development with its neighbors, and get it to end its support for what was shown to be its useless 'ring of fire' around Israel with proxy organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas—can wind up being the most important leader for the Iranian people. As Dean Martin used to sing, 'Ain’t that a kick in the head!'"

Both the Russians and the Chinese have refused Iranian requests to rearm them, Reuters reported yesterday, attributing their restraint to a desire to let Trump work out a deal.

June 19—Sources close to the White House report that President Donald Trump has thus far resisted efforts by neo-cons in his administration and Congress, as well as Israel’s messianic Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, to push him to enter Israel’s war against Iran.

The sources say that in meetings with his national security team, Trump has approved a number of potential military options, including the use of U.S. 15-ton bunker buster bombs against the mostly untouched hardened Iranian nuclear lab at Fordow, which is buried deep in a mountain about 18 miles from the religious city of Qom. The Israelis do not possess the munitions to destroy the site, and while U.S. military officials assure the President that the bunker busters would be effective, Trump remains uncertain they will work.

Sources also report that one option under consideration is to give the Israelis the ordnance and then assist in designing the attack. However, Trump and U.S. military advisors are uncertain whether the bombs can be deployed effectively by anything other than an American B-2 bomber delivery system.

Backchannel Negotiations Amid Escalation

Several sources in both Washington and the region say that Trump is holding out to see if a nuclear deal can still be worked out with Iran, even at this late date. Furious diplomatic work is reportedly underway involving the Iranians, the Omanis, possibly other Gulf states, the Russians, and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has not been seen publicly for several days.

“To the best of my knowledge,” said a source, “Trump believes that the threat of U.S. involvement, as well as his tough talk, has made the sane elements of the Iranian political leadership understand that this is the last chance for a deal that could still save many lives. They realize that simply bombing the nuclear sites will not be sufficient to destroy them; there would need to be troops on the ground for mop-up operations, especially at Fordow. This could lead to intense fighting and loss of life, as would the continued missile and bombing campaigns between Iran and Israel. A deal would end this without the loss of life.”

“But Trump does not want extended talks—he wants a deal,” said the source. “He wants it basically on the terms already discussed, with some modifications by the Russians. The deal is: no nuclear weapons, no Iranian enrichment—this is to be handled by the Russians, working with them; Iran will be allowed to have a civilian nuclear program for peaceful purposes; and a clear schedule for sanctions relief. If they come to Trump with a deal—not talks—then the war is over. There can be non-adversarial work to dismantle the sites.”

Tensions with Israel Over Strategic Objectives

“This is what Trump wants to happen,” the source added, “but it is not what Bibi wants. He wants the U.S. to be drawn into his crusade—not to prevent an Iranian nuke, but to eliminate Iran as a nation. To eliminate what he sees as Israel’s biblical enemy—the Persian Empire—to bomb it back to the Stone Age and reduce its population. Trump is not into that game at all. That is behind his reluctance to ‘join’ with Israel as the neo-cons and fundamentalists want.”

There is also the matter of the alleged faked intelligence estimate Netanyahu used to justify launching his war effort, while nuclear deal talks were still underway. Netanyahu claimed he had new intelligence that Iran was “days or weeks away from having a bomb.” This report was denied by the CIA, which asserts Iran has not been taking steps to build a bomb and may be years away. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to this effect in March and has said nothing has changed.

Trump recently publicly contradicted her, stating that he believed Iran was very close to getting a bomb and that he would not allow it. Sources report that while there is no formal break between Trump and Gabbard, she has not been involved in recent discussions about whether the U.S. should bomb Iran.

Strategic Stakes and the Prospect of Peace

White House sources expect Trump’s position to be clarified in the coming days, and they remain hopeful that Witkoff could pull “a deal from the hat,” as he has done on past matters. “The Russians and President [Vladimir] Putin are players in this, and they are putting pressure on Iran to end this and make a deal,” said the source. “It would be a real coup for the Trump-Putin growing relationship if this can be pulled off.”

These and other sources stressed that there is no military solution to this crisis, which is compounded by the outlook of “Crusader Bibi.” They emphasize that Iran does not need nuclear facilities to produce a bomb. Iran remains the largest full-set economy in the region—it can produce its own machine tools and boasts an advanced and growing scientific cadre of far greater depth and capacity than Israel. A bomb could be produced from fissionable materials using fast computers bought from Best Buy or eBay. While making such a bomb warhead-ready may not be simple, Iran could still produce a powerful dirty bomb and hand-deliver it to Israel. A couple of such bombs could seriously devastate the small country.

The idea, then, is to create a different geometry in which any use of nuclear weapons is undesirable, and peaceful coexistence is attainable without “forever wars.” Put simply, President Trump shares this view; the messianic Bibi, his promoters, and his NATO-aligned backers who think like the British—ruling by divide and conquer—do not. So, we are still a long way from being out of the woods of war here, and elsewhere.

June 18—Sources close to the White House say there is a concerted effort by some patriots and others around President Donald Trump to walk him back from the brink of a decision to throw in with the Israelis in their murderous attack on the nation of Iran, ostensibly to end that nation's nuclear ambitions once and for all. The group—which includes Mideast Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, as well as intelligence specialists, diplomats, and some of Trump's strongest allies in Congress and the GOP—argues that the only way to prevent the development of an Iranian bomb is through negotiations. They contend Iran can forgo nuclear weapons if their right to live in peace is guaranteed by the U.S. and President Vladimir Putin's Russia.

These sources report that, thus far, Trump has rejected several overtures from Iranian leadership to restart talks for a nuclear deal. In the meantime, Iranian civilians are being battered by Israeli airstrikes that Iran appears unable to defend against. These strikes have already severely damaged Iranian nuclear and missile facilities and eliminated key scientists and military leaders.

Trump’s Public Remarks and Mixed Signals

“I said it’s really late. You know? I said it’s very late to be talking… There’s a big difference between now and a week ago,” the president said to reporters during the installation of a new flagpole on the White House lawn.

Trump noted that Iranian emissaries “even suggested they come to the White House,” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had offered to intercede.

“I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia [and Ukraine] first. You can worry about this later’,” Trump said.

“That’s, you know, courageous but it’s not easy for them to do,” he said of the Iranians, expressing affection for the Iranian people. He blamed Ayatollah Khamenei for rejecting a deal he had offered. “They can be difficult, but so can you… they’re smart people, and those people are getting the hell beaten out of them,” Trump said of the Iranians. “They had 60 days… plenty of time, and they made a mistake—honestly, they made a mistake. Their country is in ruins. So many people are dead who shouldn’t be dead. It’s a very sad thing.”

And then, in contrast to his earlier statement, Trump added, “Nothing’s too late. The only thing too late is [Federal Reserve chairman Jerome] Powell.”

Time Running Out for Diplomacy

Sources say Trump is likely to make a final decision about U.S. involvement within the next 24 hours. "The longer he can hold out against the Israeli pressure to join them," one source stated, "the more likely he can be presented with a negotiation package he can accept. The Iranians are truly desperate."

According to the source, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s motivations go beyond nuclear containment. “He is a lunatic messianic Jew who sees Iran—the Persian Empire—as Israel’s biblical enemy which must be destroyed... He wants to bomb all those innocent people, who Trump professes to love, back to the Stone Age and wants the U.S. to participate."

Military Planning and Warnings

Specifically, the Israelis have requested that the U.S. take out Iran's last hardened nuclear site, the Fedorov lab, which is embedded deep inside a mountain and inaccessible to Israeli airstrikes. They believe it could be destroyed by American 15-ton "bunker buster" bombs. U.S. military sources believe that a full operation would require special forces on the ground in Iran to complete mop-up tasks—a step that could provoke direct conflict with Iranian forces, including the Revolutionary Guard.

Still, others caution that even a successful operation would not eliminate Iran's ability to build a bomb. “It is just not hard to do anymore, if you are a culturally and technologically advanced nation such as Iran,” one source said, arguing that negotiations are the only viable option. “Maybe they have some trouble weaponizing it for missile delivery, but even that can be done. They could quickly build a couple of dirty bombs with fissionable material hidden away somewhere… a couple of dirty bombs, hand delivered so to speak, would pretty much wipe out Israel.”

Those in Trump’s circle urging restraint say that, despite the pressure and rhetoric, they still have the President's ear. But they also warn that his patience is waning. “He does not like seeing dead bodies, from anyone, for any reason,” one source said. “If he decides to go in, he will see a lot of them—including Americans. The Iranians, despite some nasty rhetoric, have not attacked American bases or personnel. I would not put it past Bibi to run some ‘red flag’ operations against Americans, if that’s the only way to bring Trump in on his side.”

June 18—Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced an Iran War Powers Resolution this morning, as a companion resolution to a similar resolution that Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced June 16 in the Senate.

Representative Massie, the resolution’s chief mover, announced on his X account that the intent of the resolution is “to prohibit U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war. This is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”

The resolution states that: “Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.”

The resolution is bipartisan, although its initiator, Massie, is the only courageous Republican to put his name on it—so far. Seventeen Democrat Representatives, in addition to Representative Khanna, are cosponsors: Don Beyer (VA), Gregorio Casar (TX), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Chuy Garcia (IL), Val Hoyle (OR), Pramila Jayapal (WA), Summer Lee (PA), Jim McGovern (MA), Ilhan Omar (MN), Ayanna Presley (MA), Delia Ramirez (IL), Rashida Tlaib (MI), and Nydia Velázquez (NY).

Massie reports that War Powers Resolutions are privileged in the House of Representatives and can be called up for debate and a floor vote after 15 calendar days without action in committee. The text of the announcement and the resolution can be found here. 

June 18—Former UN weapons inspector and Marine intelligence officer Scott Ritter yesterday published the sixth edition of short video statements that he has dubbed “Ritter’s Rant.” Today’s episode is headlined “Who Controls the President?”

Ritter begins by reminding viewers that candidate Trump repeatedly denounced American involvement in foreign wars, and yet “here we are with the President of the United States today basically taking ownership of the Israeli-Iranian conflict, speaking in terms of collective responsibilities. ‘We have control of the skies over Iran. We know where the supreme leader is hiding. Oh, we’re not going to kill him, but we know where he is.’ And demanding the unconditional surrender of Iran to whom? The United States? Are we at war with Iran to the point where the president is demanding unconditional surrender?”

An alarmed Ritter asks: “How did we get to this point?” He reminds viewers that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently stated that Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapons program and does not constitute a national security threat to the United States. “And yet, when President Trump was confronted on Air Force One with the reality of Tulsi Gabbard’s assessment, he said, I don’t care what she says, that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Where is the president getting his information? Who is briefing the president?"

Ritter then describes the “stove piping” of intelligence, without using that expression: "We know that Israel has been making a case that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program. Is the president of the United States of America, allowing the Israeli government, allowing Israeli intelligence to run an endgame around the Director of National Intelligence and brief the President directly? As an American, I would take umbrage at that very notion that a foreign power has taken the lead in briefing the President of the United States on matters that pertain to war.

“And again, I want to remind the United States Congress that the Constitution vests in Congress in a singular fashion, the ability to take the nation to war. And now we have a commander in chief who appears to be held hostage by foreign intelligence, taking his briefing from them acting on it without consulting Congress.”

Ritter's podcast generally have tens of thousands of views, including people from the Trump base.

Ritter concludes: "These are very dangerous times. We have a president who’s acting more and more like an out-of-control dictator, a man who operates in direct contravention to the Constitution and to the notion of democratic due process. Tulsi Gabbard is the director of national intelligence. She’s the one the president should be listening to. If he’s unhappy with her advice, then he should fire her and find somebody else to do that job. But at the end of the day, the person briefing the president of the United States on information that pertains to the potential use of American military power in a warlike situation must be the director of national intelligence, an American citizen whose position has been approved by the Congress of the United States, not some secret, unnamed foreign intelligence operative whispering sweet nothings into the president’s ear.

“This is a very dangerous situation. America finds itself on the edge of the abyss, where we are about to enter into yet another Middle East conflict that will cost us trillions, cost us thousands of lives, and take us nowhere closer to the notional objective of peace and prosperity for the American people. ‘America First’ has been transformed into ‘Israel First,’ and this should be unacceptable to all Americans.”

June 18—Even before President Donald Trump took to talking up possible U.S. involvement on the side of Israel in its war with Iran yesterday, the signs of fury in Trump’s base at the prospect were multiplying, potentially building into a revolt in the MAGA ranks.

On June 16, One America News Network (OAN), long a staunch bastion of Trump support, advertised clips from former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz’s show on their platform that night, with the all-caps message: “Matt Gaetz: ‘The Last Time America Listened to Netanyahu Based on False Claims of WMD’s, we Ended Up Pouring Cash and Blood All Over the Sands of Mesopotamia, and in the end, we only made Iran stronger!’” Continuing to quote Gaetz, but in lower case, OAN added: “The regime change war in Iraq cost our great nation treasure, credibility, and the blood of our bravest patriots. It resulted in broken limbs, broken families, and broken minds. It also resulted in a broken Iraq, which, ironically, has now become a vassal state of, wait for it … Iran!” Within 12 hours of its posting, the OAN clip had garnered 1.7 million views—and the numbers are still rising.

Gaetz was hard-nosed. He showed clips of Israel's Bibi Netanyahu and former President George W. Bush in 2002 pressing for the U.S. to take out the Iraqi regime because it had the WMD, juxtaposed to candidate Trump in a campaign debate fiercely denouncing the Iraq war as an utter disaster.

The warning to Trump from supporter Rich Baris, the man Newsweek dubs “Trump’s Most Favorable Pollster,” was more succinct: “Kiss the Republican majority goodbye… For the next decade. If he [Trump] pulls the trigger, it’s all over for MAGA.” Baris heads Big Data Poll, which Newsweek says had given Trump “the highest approval rating (+19) of any pollster in his second term so far.”

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (SC) and conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson have been two of the most vociferous from within Trump’s base, warning the President that if he takes the neocon bait for war with Iran, it will spell the end of his presidency. Greene has not backed down after President Trump dismissed Carlson as “kooky” for saying a war on Iran betrays “America First.” (America First is what I say it is, Trump had fulminated.) She countered on June16: “Tucker Carlson is one of my favorite people…. Since being fired by the neocon network Fox News, he has more popularity and viewers than ever before. He unapologetically believes the same things I do,...foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction. That’s not kooky. That’s what millions of Americans voted for. It’s what we believe is America First.” 

Former Virginia State Senator and retired Colonel Richard H. Black echoed that sentiment, in his remark today in the Comments section of the New York Times, on the question of war: “I’m a strong supporter of the president, but I am exhausted by this endless string of wars. Each time, we are told we must attack and kill people to preserve the peace. But no one ever attacks us. Why must we travel 5,000 miles to attack and kill them and destroy their cities and homes? Why not just stop making war on everyone?” 

June 17—Sources close to the White House report President Donald Trump believes that an acceptable deal ending Iran's nuclear weapons ambition could be worked out in "a few days," and that there is no reason to continue Israel's increasingly devastating attack on Iran—its nuclear facilities, its missile site, and its military leadership—that has decimated its chain of command. The sources say that Trump wants "a pause" in the war for several days to allow him and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to deliver a signed deal, with the help of Omani mediators.

Trump yesterday left the ongoing meeting of G-7 leaders in western Canada, saying that he had to return to Washington to deal with the crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron, hardly a confidant of Trump, said that the President was going home to work on a "ceasefire."

"I am not working for any ceasefire," Trump told reporters, while urging residents of Tehran to evacuate, "while they can." Trump indicated he would be working on "ending the killing."

Iran Seeks Ceasefire, Trump Eyes Strategic Pause

"Iran has urgently called for an immediate 'ceasefire' in the hostilities, to allow for the start of a new round of nuclear talks, in which they say they will be more flexible," said a source. "But a ceasefire would require some formal agreement between the parties, and that is something that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Bibi [Netanyahu] might not be willing to agree to quickly. A pause achieves the same effect but is less formal. Trump could get both sides to agree to a pause, with Bibi allowed to continue his war if there is no deal. The Iranians can be prodded to accept, if not just by Trump—he can bring in his helper [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to push them to the table."

Sources report that Trump and Putin have been coordinating efforts to end the dangerous conflict, which has seen escalating air and missile attacks from both sides across the last five days since Netanyahu launched his deadly attacks June 13.

Iran’s Military Weakness and Concessions

These and other sources report that the Iranians, whose military weakness has been exposed in the Israeli attack—where Israeli air forces operate without resistance over Iran, and where attacks have been launched by Mossad-directed security forces and agents inside Iran—have communicated to Trump that they will accept a deal on enrichment where the Russians, operating a heavily inspected plant inside Iran, would provide them with enriched Uranium well below weapons grade; they had rejected a similar plan in previous talks. The U.S. will agree to provide them with a schedule and terms for sanctions relief.

Most importantly, "Iran had long ago agreed to forgo any nuclear weapons development, for all time," which was the main object of the deal—and at least the stated purpose of Bibi's onslaught.

Trump vs. Netanyahu: Conflicting Motives

"I think the Iranians have finally figured out that Trump and Bibi are on two different wavelengths on this," the source stated. "The messianic Jewish leader Bibi is running a crusade to eliminate the historical and biblical enemy of Jews and Israel, the Persian Empire. Trump just does not want Iran to have nukes. This is not surrender by Iran. But it is at least some of their leaders coming into alignment with reality.

"Trump had given them a way out, a fair deal, that could have been reached within his proclaimed 60-day deadline. They played games with him—especially the Ayatollah Khamenei—and Bibi saw his opening and moved."

"The U.S. did not formally participate in the attack," the source confirmed, "but they have provided some logistical support, including providing airborne refueling capabilities for Israel strike fighters and bombers. And the U.S. continues to assist in shooting down Iranian missiles and drones attacking Israel."

Netanyahu, the sources report, had hoped that the Iranians would attack U.S. bases and personnel for this "help," but "they did not have a death wish and did want to offer a path for direct U.S. involvement."

Trump’s View on Iran’s Nuclear Capability

"Trump believes that the only way to prevent Iran from developing a bomb is through negotiation," said another source. "Iran is an advanced nation, with one of the most capable and advanced scientific cadres in the world. As a nation, they have the ability to build bombs, provided they have fissionable fuel, which they can easily make. The CIA had long ago reached that assessment. So there really is no military solution to the crisis. And Bibi knows that."

June 16—President Donald Trump confirmed this morning that the U.S. has received an urgent request from Iran for an immediate ceasefire in its ongoing exchange of missile and air strikes with Israel. Iran is also seeking a return to U.S.-mediated negotiations for a new nuclear deal, in which it says it will be flexible in its terms.

Missed Opportunities and Military Escalation

“They’d like to talk, but they should have done that before I had 60 days, and they had 60 days, and on the 61st day, I said, we don’t have a deal,” Trump said during his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alberta. Yesterday’s planned negotiations in Oman were canceled after Israel struck Iranian nuclear and missile sites, killing scientists and top military officials, demonstrating total air supremacy over Tehran. Iran responded with waves of missile attacks on Israel.

Trump did not state how he and other leaders would act on the request, but sources close to the White House believe Iran’s overture is genuine rather than a delay tactic. Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to these sources, has pushed Iran toward negotiations despite concerns about appearing to cave to Israeli military pressure. Putin had offered to mediate, but Trump reportedly prefers talks to proceed as before, led by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Russia’s Role and Israel’s Pre-Emptive Strike

Putin and Russia would guarantee the final deal and potentially provide Iran with non-weapons-grade enriched uranium from a facility inside Iran. Resolving this issue—Iran’s sovereign right to enrich uranium—was expected to be a major focus in yesterday’s cancelled talks.

Sources indicate Israel acted on June 13 to prevent such an agreement by striking Iran preemptively. According to U.S. intelligence and military analysts, Iran sought an urgent ceasefire because it was clearly losing in the military exchange.

Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aggressive stance, Trump, while praising Israel's success, has refused requests to participate in Israel's military campaign to destroy Iran’s fortified underground nuclear facilities; the U.S. has assisted in shooting down Iranian missiles and drones. While Israel has yet to eliminate key sites, including Fordow, Trump has emphasized diplomacy as the best path forward.

"The diplomatic solution is the only way to get the job done of denying Iran the bomb," said one source. "Trump knows this. And he also knows that Bibi's agenda against Iran goes farther than the bomb program. Bibi is a messianic lunatic who wants to totally destroy Iran, Israel's biblical enemy. Bomb the most advanced scientifically and culturally non-Jewish nation in the region back to the Stone Age. Trump wants no part of that, so he will press the Israelis for the ceasefire at some point and work out a deal. Bibi is not going to like that."

G-7 Response and Media Narratives

The G-7 meeting will address Iran’s request. Britain and other leaders have drafted a statement urging de-escalation, affirming Israel’s right to self-defense, and rejecting Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Trump has reportedly not signed off on the statement.

Meanwhile, sources claim the media is complicating diplomacy by portraying Iran’s outreach as surrender. One insider criticized NATO’s messaging, saying, “The NATO propaganda machine will never give any credit to the Trump-Putin diplomacy. They hate it because it works.”

Framework for a New Deal

Iran is willing to negotiate if a ceasefire is reached, an Iranian source told Reuters this morning. Gulf States—Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia—have urged Washington to press Israel for a ceasefire and to resume nuclear deal talks.

A senior regional expert has proposed a framework for a new deal, circulating as a viable path forward:

• Immediate cessation of hostilities within 24 hours.
• U.S.-Iran nuclear talks resume in Oman, facilitated by Omani mediators, proceeding uninterrupted until a deal is reached.
• The U.S. agrees to discuss a specific uranium enrichment program, supervised by Russia within Iran.
• A defined timeline for lifting U.S. sanctions, a key Iranian demand.
• Upon agreement, the U.S. must push for Israeli acceptance, ensuring all military actions against Iran permanently cease.

June 1—On May 29-30, the UN Security Council held special sessions dedicated to Ukraine. The first day was called by Ukraine to discuss the humanitarian crisis; the second was called by Russia to present the reality of Ukraine’s impending military defeat, and to expose the West’s hysterical defense of the indefensible. The bankrupt and illegitimate Zelenskyy regime, propped up by billions of dollars of Western funds and weapons that have allowed it to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives so far, continues to drag young people off the streets. and send them to their certain deaths at the front.

Ukraine: NATO's Concentration Camp

Ukraine, said Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia on May 29 is “a concentration camp and a meat grinder,” but the West is desperately trying to keep up with its “script” that Russia is against peace, and continues to engage in all manner of lies and provocations in the hope that somehow Russia can be defeated—if the war can be continued. And, Nebenzia added, “their task is to trick and mislead American President Donald Trump, who is taking decisive steps toward peace; they’re ready to go to any lengths only to return the U.S.—which has already wasted hundreds of billions of dollars helping Ukraine—to an anti-Russian and Russophobic course.” Somehow, Nebenzia said today, they have to “bring Trump back to the game,” so they will say anything, make any statements to prevent Trump from having a relationship with Russia.

Nebenzia told Ukraine and its backers that Russia is quite willing to consider a ceasefire—the West demands an unconditional 30-day ceasefire—so long as the West stops sending weapons to Kiev and Kiev stops its mobilization. Russia has repeatedly said that otherwise, Ukraine would use any ceasefire to regroup and rearm (with Western help) to continue fighting “to the last Ukrainian.” Of course, the “root causes” of the war must also be addressed. That demand caused maximum hysteria. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said these remarks were a “slap in the face to all who advocate for peace.”

Given Ukraine’s desperate situation on the battlefield, Nebenzia pointed out that the objectives of the special military operation, launched in February 2022, can be obtained either through peaceful or military means, and, he added, Russia’s armed forces are prepared to step up their combat activities “for as long as it may take.” Look at the situation along the entire front line, he said. Settlements are being liberated and equipment destroyed. Nonetheless, “we have always emphasized that we are committed to a political and diplomatic settlement of the crisis.”

The British Role

The Russian ambassador’s exposé of the role of the United Kingdom in perpetuating the Ukraine war hit home, judging from the flustered reaction of Fergus Eckersley, British Minister-Counsellor at the U.K.’s Mission to the UN. British intelligence was involved in large-scale hostilities, Nebenzia charged, and U.S. and British agents collaborated with Ukrainian servicemen in plans to blow up the Crimea bridge “overseeing every aspect of this operation, including determining the coordinate for the targets to calculating missile flight paths.” A report issued by British investigative journalists revealed these details last March.

Nebenzia pointed out the obvious: The European nations involved in these operations are worse off today, than they were three years ago. Russia has adapted to living under sanctions, but “you’ve been punishing yourselves…. [U]ntil you stop viewing what is happening exclusively as a ‘zero sum game,’ the situation for Europe and its satellites will but worsen.”

Eckersley appeared nonplussed when he responded to Nebenzia. “Russia has just blamed the U.K. and other European countries for somehow sabotaging peace,” he complained. But “they’re trying to complicate things and confuse us.” Who is confused? The onus, he insisted, “really is on Russia, and President Putin, to show they are serious about ending the war that they started.”