At G7 foreign ministers' meetings in Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would keep imposing “devastating” economic costs on Iran and that major combat operations are not needed because sanctions and a naval blockade are working. President Trump said he would hold off on new military strikes after regional appeals. Qatar's prime minister joined the G7 talks and said a diplomatic solution was still possible. Oil prices fell to two-month lows amid the mixed signals.
The administration views economic pressure as effective enough to constrain Iran without re-escalating war. Iran's demands, including reparations, lifting sanctions and ending the blockade, were rejected by Rubio as unrealistic. Advisers are split: some favor continued pressure, while Vice President Vance reportedly prefers a deal; Iran denies talks are underway.
Marco Rubio did issue that blunt warning. He also told G7 allies that U.S. sanctions and the naval blockade are working so well that major combat operations against Iran are not needed now.
Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, said he would tell Xi Jinping that outside powers should not meddle in Canada's affairs.
Canada does have sanctions on Iran and Russia; it has not imposed comparable broad sanctions on the state of Israel, though it has sanctioned some Israeli settlers.
Shivon Zilis is a Neuralink executive and has children with Elon Musk; there is no credible reporting that Sam Altman was their sperm donor.
CNBC reports Jensen Huang returned to the office after disclosing an affair, and employees described the mood as “sad” while he tried to project business as usual.
CNBC reports Nvidia shares sold off for a second day as investors weighed fallout from reports about CEO Jensen Huang's affair with an alleged Chinese spy.
BMarco Rubio has a blunt message for Iran: "If you do bad things, bad things will happen to you."
BWell, that's... diplomatic poetry.
BIt's not subtle, Brian. But look at the context. He said it at the G7 meeting in Paris, and the bigger headline is what came after: sanctions are working, the naval blockade is working, and major combat operations aren't needed right now.
BThat's the real story. The administration is signaling it would rather squeeze than shoot. And the Qataris jumped in saying at least two weeks of diplomacy — although I'd flag that window is not confirmed.
BRight, that's a report from The Jerusalem Post, but what we can confirm is Qatar's prime minister did join those talks in Paris and said he's cautiously optimistic.
BCautiously optimistic. About Iran. That's like saying the elevator's cautiously stuck. So let's dig into this, because the economic pressure is real and it's compounding daily. Oil prices fell to two-month lows on the mixed signals.
BWhich tells you markets think the threat of a wider war is fading. And Rubio was explicit: Iran's demands — reparations, lifting sanctions, ending the blockade — are not realistic.
BGood. Because those demands were never a starting point for negotiation. They were a ransom note. Iran's own security chief says no talks are happening at all, and the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until those conditions are met.
BAnd that's the standoff. The U.S. isn't backing down, Iran isn't backing down, and Qatar is in the middle trying to keep the thing from going kinetic.
BSee, here's where I push back. You and a lot of people in Washington treat the blockade as a settled win. I think it's a gamble. Every week it stays closed, the global economy takes a hit. Allies get itchy.
BBut the alternative is bombing, Brian. You'd rather drop bombs on refineries than wait out the pressure?
BI'd rather have a plan for both! And from the outside, it looks like the plan is 'squeeze them and hope.' Hope is not a strategy.
BIt's not hope. It's leverage. You don't get a deal with Iran without leverage. We saw what hope did in 2015.
BAnd we saw what maximum pressure did in 2019 — it got us closer to war than anyone wants to admit.
BFair. So we agree the margin for error is thin. The Qataris have two weeks — unverified — to move this thing.
BAnd if diplomacy fails, the bad things Rubio keeps promising... he'll have to deliver. That's the thing about a line like that. It sounds strong until it's time to actually do something.
BSpeaking of standing firm, Canada's prime minister is drawing his own line. Mark Carney says he'll tell Xi Jinping directly: outsiders shouldn't meddle in Canada's affairs.
BAbout time. Beijing's been leaning on Canadian institutions for years — universities, community groups, businesses. Carney saying it to Xi's face at least puts a marker down.
BThough not everyone's impressed. Larry Neufeld posted on X pointing out Canada sanctions Iran and Russia, but not Israel. He's got a point about consistency.
BHe does. Canada has sanctioned individual Israeli settlers, but not the state. So Carney will lecture Xi about meddling, while Ottawa picks and chooses which foreign governments get the stick.
BThe response will be that Canada sanctions where there's a clear violation of international law or Canadian interests. Still, the contrast is awkward.
BLet's move on to something stranger.
BOne more post that caught attention — a weird one. An account claimed Shivon Zilis testified under oath that Sam Altman was the sperm donor for her children.
BThat's false. Zilis is a Neuralink executive, and her children are with Elon Musk. No credible reporting supports the Altman claim. It's just the kind of thing that spreads because it's bizarre.
BI checked. Reuters confirms Zilis and Musk have children together. The Altman part is just... the internet doing what it does.