The war between Israel and Iran, now in its fifth day, has seized the world’s attention, with fears growing of a wider regional conflict and the possibility that the United States could get pulled in. As Israel stepped up its attacks on Monday, there were few signs that the fighting would end soon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will pursue its strikes until Iran’s capacity for developing a nuclear weapon is destroyed. President Trump has so far mostly issued warnings to Iran as a way of prodding it back to the negotiating table. Asked about the conflict at a meeting of the Group of 7 countries Monday in Canada, Trump said, “They’d like to talk, but they should have done that before,” then added, “They should talk immediately before it’s too late.” Last week, Thomas Friedman wrote that the best and worst outcomes of this conflict remain on the table. In his latest column, he writes that amid the escalating hostilities, Trump could use this moment to move both sides away from flawed strategic assumptions to pursue peace — and lays out conditions for Israel, Iran and the Palestinians to make that happen. The big question, Friedman asks, is whether Trump is up to the challenge. Read the column: Here’s what we’re focusing on today:
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