President Trump confronted a major choice in the Iran War.

Trump pulled off one of his patented surprises.

And Donald Trump dropped one Iran bombshell that just put jaws on the floor.

Trump set a 48-hour deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and allow for oil tankers to transit, or else he would order America’s military to destroy Iran’s power grid.

Iran threatened to retaliate by blowing up power grids across the Middle East and potentially targeting desalination plants, which provide drinking water to 100 million people.

The morning of the deadline, Trump stunned the world by announcing Iran came to America for peace talks, that both sides made substantial progress, and that he was pausing any strikes on Iranian power plants for five days to give negotiations a chance to strike a deal.

“I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

“BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN-DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WHICH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FIVE DAYS, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!” Trump added.

The administration is reportedly hoping it can strike a deal with Mohammad ⁠Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian parliament,” POLITICO reported.

“Mohammad ⁠Bagher Ghalibaf, the 64-year-old who has repeatedly threatened the U.S. and its allies with retaliation, is seen by at least some in the White House as a workable partner, who could lead Iran and negotiate with the Trump administration in the war’s next phase, according to two administration officials.

Trump is hoping to replicate the Venezuela model, where Vice President Delcy Rodríguez replaced Nicolas Maduro and immediately cut a deal that provided the U.S. access to that country’s oil reserves.

“It’s all about installing someone like a Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela that we say, ‘We’re going to keep you there. We’re not going to take you out. You’re going to work with us. You’re going to give us a good deal, a first deal on the oil,” an administration official told POLITICO.

Trump doesn’t want to bog America down in an endless regime change and nation-building war like in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Instead, Trump hopes that by taking out Iran’s leadership and replacing them with more pragmatic figures who value staying alive, he can score a quick and decisive victory that reshapes the global balance of power in America’s favor.

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