Uncomfortable Surprises in the Oval Office, Nuclear Negotiations With Iran, Stocks Stabilize … Sort Of
Donald Trump really wants to make a deal with Iran. Does Iran want to make a deal with him?
Our newest Trumpet print edition goes online tomorrow, and the cover story, by executive editor Stephen Flurry, “The Fatal Flaw in Trump’s Peace Plans,” speaks directly to this question. Watch for it. In the meantime we begin this morning’s brief with the lead-up to Trump’s big announcement:
Uncomfortable surprises in the Oval Office: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was enjoying an unusually friendly trip to Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán when they took a joint phone call from Donald Trump. Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House immediately for an unplanned trip, and Netanyahu flew straight there for a meeting yesterday. Expecting to secure relief after Trump had imposed a 17 percent tariff on Israeli goods, Netanyahu instead faced surprises.
The White House visit left the Israeli delegation blindsided and their goals unmet. Netanyahu pledged to eliminate Israel’s trade deficit with the U.S., but Trump remained noncommittal, instead highlighting the billions of dollars in aid the U.S. gives to Israel. He praised Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—a known Hamas supporter—as a smart leader with whom Israel should reconcile over Syria. “Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think we can solve, as long as you are reasonable; you have to be reasonable,” he told Netanyahu.
And the biggest surprise of all …
Trump announced nuclear negotiations with Iran: Netanyahu’s face noticeably dropped as the president said, “We’re having direct talks with Iran.” Our feature story this morning explains the resumption of nuclear negotiations with Iran.
Trump has often said Iran must sign a new deal or face military strikes. He reiterated that with Netanyahu sitting next to him: “I think everyone agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it.” Netanyahu had no choice but to sit there and try to act supportive.
What does President Trump expect to accomplish with such an unwilling negotiating partner? It’s not even clear Iran will show up to the “very big meeting on Saturday” he promised. Ayatollah Khamenei has ruled out direct talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says talks would be “indirect,” operating through Omani mediators. Axios reports that envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the U.S. delegation for the talks. He has not inspired tremendous confidence in his previous peace efforts.
“If Netanyahu thought that solidly pro-Israel U.S. officials, public praise of Trump, and overt imitation of his griping about the deep state and fake news would be enough to sail through the next four years, he received a rude wake-up call in the Oval Office,” the Times of Israel wrote. “And for now, at least, Trump still believes talking to Iran can solve the nuclear problem, Israel’s reservations [notwithstanding].”
Based on biblical prophecy, we can expect the king of the south to somehow emerge from the kerfuffle intact, belligerent and nuclear-armed.
Stocks stabilize … sort of: Share prices globally are back up a bit—not back to where they were before Trump’s tariff announcement but up from yesterday’s lows. But America’s markets soared more than 8 percent in 30 minutes on a false report that Trump would pause tariffs for 90 days. When the White House dismissed it as “fake news,” values dropped again. This is insane volatility based on deep uncertainty among investors.
On top of that, tensions with China look like they’re just warming up:
The U.S. and China play Chicken over trade war: Things are getting testy. Follow the timeline: On April 2, President Trump imposed a 34 percent tariff on Chinese imports, adding to the existing 20 percent tariff already in place since his inauguration. In response, on Friday, China announced a reciprocal 34 percent tariff on U.S. imports, effective April 10. The next day, Trump responded on Truth Social: “If China does not withdraw its 34 percent increase above their already long-term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL tariffs on China of 50 percent, effective April 9th.”
Today, however, China appears resolute. Its leaders pledged to “fight to the end” in a trade war against the United States. The Commerce Ministry condemned Trump’s imposition of “so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’” as “completely groundless and a typical unilateral bullying practice,” adding that “China will never accept … the blackmailing nature” of the move. With no signs of deescalation, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods could soon reach 104 percent—more than doubling the price of Chinese imports in the U.S.
China has not yet specified how it plans to “fight to the end,” but there’s one nuclear option it could take. The Telegraph explained: “China is the second-largest holder of U.S. debt, known as treasuries, in the world. If it opted to dump this government debt, the blow to the U.S. would be seismic.” The Chinese economy would incur serious damage in such a sell-off, but Chinese Communist Party leaders may calculate that it is worth it to harm the U.S. more.
In a Sept. 26, 2008, Key of David, Gerald Flurry discussed the extreme devastation that would come from a Chinese sell-off of U.S. treasuries, and said: “Then what happens? Well, I think you can see we’re talking about a problem that is not a small problem. This is something where, frankly, we need God’s help because man can’t solve these mountain-sized problems.” That is a truth that America’s president clearly has not yet come to understand.
Trump tariffs to empower Turkey? Here is another of the untold unexpected effects from America’s new tariff policy: Turkey could position itself as a strategic transit hub for global trade, according to Geopolitical Futures. As steep tariffs hit major economies like China and the European Union, countries and companies may seek to reroute their supply chains through nations like Turkey, which faces a relatively modest 10 percent baseline tariff.
Turkey is geographically close to Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It has a robust manufacturing base and existing trade agreements like its customs union with the EU. “A senior source in Ankara’s financial sector noted that exporters are already rerouting supply chains through Turkey to bypass higher duties,” Geopolitical Futures wrote. “Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz reinforced this view, saying that Turkey is positioned to benefit from the fragmentation of global trade, particularly as commodity prices decline and protectionism accelerates.”
This shift could boost Turkish exports, attract foreign investment, and enhance its role in global logistics. It could enhance Turkey’s role in end-time prophecy.
Baltic states defense line: The Baltic states announced last year a plan to build a defense line along their borders to protect them from Russian aggression. Yet recent reports say their efforts have come too late, Peter van Halteren reports.
Supreme Court backs Trump: A 5-to-4 ruling struck down Judge Boasberg’s block on the deportation of Tren de Aragua gang members, our In Brief reports. Thus, President Trump can continue to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans, but with a few guidelines. The three liberal justices dissented, and were joined by Amy Coney Barrett, who issued a partial dissent, saying that her colleagues’ “decision to intervene in this litigation is as inexplicable as it is dangerous.”
Anti-Semitism rising in NYC: A recent report shows that 54 percent of hate crimes in New York City last month targeted Jews.
