Pentagon tells Congress no sign that Iran was going to attack US first, sources say  —  Trump administration officials acknowledged in closed-door briefings with congressional staff on Sunday that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first, two people familiar with the matter said.

Trump Says War Could Last Weeks and Offers Contradictory Visions of New Regime  —  In a brief interview, he said the country's hardened military should simply surrender their weapons to the Iranian public.  —  President Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. military intends to sustain its assault on Iran for …

How to Think About Trump's War With Iran  —  To think clearly about Middle East wars, you need to hold multiple thoughts in your head at the same time.  It's a complicated, kaleidoscopic region where religion, oil, tribal politics and great power politics interweave in every major story.

A Directionless War Meets a Constitutional Crisis  —  As we were putting this newsletter to bed this morning, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took to a Pentagon podium to brief the media on the ongoing state of the conflict in Iran.  TL;DR: Mission Accomplished.

Here's the latest.  —  The U.S. and Israeli militaries pounded Iran and its allies for a third day on Monday as the widening attacks across the Middle East drew in more players and risked spiraling into a full-blown regional war.  —  Israeli fighter jets streaked through the skies over the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Trump Wants You to Get Used to This.  Don't.  —  Authoritarian politics and military aggression are a dangerous mix.  As Donald Trump announced his war on Iran wearing a baseball cap in a video released in the middle of the night while he was at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, that lesson hung heavily over the proceedings.

U.S. and Israel delayed original Iran strike by a week, officials say  —  The U.S. and Israel originally planned to attack Iran a week earlier than they did, but the opening strike was delayed for operational and intelligence reasons, according to senior U.S. and Israeli officials.

Trump won't rule out sending US troops into Iran ‘if necessary’— tells The Post 'I don't care about polling'  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump told The Post Monday that he's not ruling out sending US ground troops into Iran “if they were necessary” — and declared “I don't care about polling” …

The money behind the new Iran War  —  In private calls over the last several weeks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) reportedly urged President Trump to attack Iran.  Iran is a top regional rival of Saudi Arabia, and MBS had become concerned about Iran's growing military capabilities.

The irrational strongman we've been warned about is here  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🫵 Subscribe to PN 🫵  —  In the run up to the Iraq War, President George W. Bush characterized Saddam Hussein as a “madman” …

Trump's Shifting Goals for Iran Complicate Military's Mission  —  President and his allies went back and forth Sunday, between ending the threat from Tehran and regime change  —  WASHINGTON—The length of America's military commitment to its confrontation with Iran depends on what the goals are.

Iran strikes spark accusations of bad-faith diplomatic negotiations  —  U.S. officials said they were negotiating with Iran in good faith, even if hours later they joined Israeli military strikes that targeted the Iranian government.  —  The talks were not going well, but there were signs that they would continue.

Higher gas prices are likely coming to the pump after oil prices jump in wake of U.S. strikes in Iran  —  The jump in oil prices could lead to a jump in prices as soon as Monday, but it won't be a spike, an analyst said.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE  —  The price of oil surged after U.S …