'Knife-edge': Officials scramble behind-the-scenes to stop Trump from starting a war

Donald Trump is reportedly on the "knife-edge" of starting a new war in the Middle East, with The iPaper reporting Tuesday that officials are scrambling behind-the-scenes to stop it.

On Trump's orders, the U.S. military is currently building up a "massive" deployment of naval hardware in the Persian Gulf, the outlet explained. The president has been inching closer to an all-out conflict with Iran since bombing three of its nuclear facilities last summer. More recently, he has threatened to take military action against the Middle Eastern nation in response to reports that the government has brutally cracked down on recent nationwide protests, allegedly killing thousands in the process.

“If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens," Trump said of the situation on Friday.

In its report from Tuesday, The iPaper laid out the efforts underway to stop a war between the U.S. and Iran from breaking out. On Friday, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, took a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Upon his return to Tehran, he reportedly took another meeting with Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, with The iPaper reporting that the PM was there to deliver a "final warning" from the U.S.

Despite Trump's recent rhetoric about Iran's treatment of protesters, the tension between the two nations is still dominated by nuclear matters.

"Iran’s stockpile and the possibility of enriching more uranium in future are key points of contention for the U.S.," The iPaper explained. "Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency raised 'serious concerns' that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 per cent – a short step from the roughly 90 per cent needed for weapons-grade. Reports have suggested that since the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last summer, Iran has been trying to rebuild those sites deeper underground. Any US talks are bound to demand significant concessions on Iran’s nuclear program."

After a meeting with Iranian officials, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly contacted the Trump administration to offer Turkiye's help in facilitating negotiations with Iran. As of Tuesday, the White House had not responded to the offer.

Trump's persistent threats of military action against various foreign nations have been a major departure from his 2024 campaign, where he promised to keep the country out of more costly conflicts. This reversal has been a significant factor in his plummeting approval ratings, especially among Gen Z voters, who do not want to have to fight in Trump's wars.

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