With tense negotiations inching forward this week, President Donald Trump has enough on his plate without some of his detractors in the media floating unsubstantiated allegations about the impetus of the ongoing military action in Iran.
A number of talking heads, predominantly on the left, have asserted that Israel must have pressured the White House to take action.
Of course, Trump has denied any such suggestion, doing so in a particularly direct fashion this week.
Per Times of Israel:
“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” Trump added, venting his frustration at “FAKE NEWS Pundits” suggesting the contrary.
Trump was referring to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel, during which terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people, mostly civilians, kidnapping 251, and triggering a war in the Gaza Strip. Hamas receives military support from Iran.
Israel and the US launched their campaign against Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile capacities. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes across the region, including through its proxies in Iraq and Lebanon. Israel launched a major campaign in Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah terror group’s rocket barrages.
The US and Iran agreed on a shaky, 10-day ceasefire that is set to expire on Wednesday unless talks mediated by Pakistan reach an agreement for a longer truce.
The fragile state of talks between the two nations has fueled a series of dramatic headlines throughout Tuesday:
Breaking News: Vice President JD Vance’s Pakistan trip is on hold after Iran failed to respond to American positions, a U.S. official said. Iran said it had not yet decided whether to resume talks with the U.S. https://t.co/25MNtNVpo9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 21, 2026
BREAKING: Hezbollah says it launched an attack on northern Israel in retaliation for Israeli violations of the 10-day ceasefire.
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/SvnLtuDJCh pic.twitter.com/amVcGcZJGj
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 21, 2026
President Trump announced he is extending the ceasefire in the war with Iran "until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.” Vice President JD Vance is expected to lead a U.S. negotiating team in talks in Pakistan's capital Islamabad if… pic.twitter.com/v7EasVFrqA
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) April 21, 2026
Here’s the latest we know about the emerging round of negotiations, according to CNN:
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will be part of the US delegation for upcoming direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, a US State Department official told CNN.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will again participate in the talks, along with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and State Department counselor Michael Needham.
Israel and Lebanon will again be represented by their ambassadors to the US, Yechiel Leiter and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, respectively.
The talks, scheduled to take place on Thursday at the US State Department, represent the second round of discussions at the ambassadorial level in as many weeks. They come amid a fragile 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.
According to the State Department official, Huckabee “will conduct routine consultations with State Department leadership and interagency partners, including discussions on regional issues” during his time in Washington, DC.
And here’s an overview of how things have played out over the past several days:
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