President Trump said Monday that he'd planned to strike Iran "tomorrow" but was holding off to give negotiations another chance. He claimed he made the decision at the request of several Arab leaders.
Why it matters: The White House saw an updated peace proposal Iran sent Sunday as insufficient, leading to a growing expectation — including inside the White House — that Trump was about to strike.
Iran has given an updated proposal for a deal to end the war, but the White House believes it isn't a meaningful improvement and is insufficient, a senior U.S. official and a source briefed on the issue told Axios.
Why it matters: U.S. officials say President Trump wants a deal to end the war but is considering resuming it due to Iran's rejection of many of his demands and refusal to make meaningful concessions on its nuclear program.
LIV Golf is better known for its financial banking than for its product, but now is asking investors for a chance to flip the script.
Driving the news: Axios has learned that the league, which recently lost the support of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, will seek to raise up to $250 million from new investors.
Government bond yields around the world, including in the U.S., are hitting multi-decade highs as investors price in higher for longer inflation due to the Iran war.
Why it matters: The interest rates, or yields, that governments pay on their debt can drive the global economy — when rates are low, countries can spend more freely and drive economic growth.
President Trump told Axios in a phone call that "the clock is ticking" for Iran and warned that if the Iranian regime doesn't come with a better offer for a deal, "they are going to get hit much harder."
Why it matters: U.S. officials say Trump wants a deal to end the war, but Iran's rejection of many of his demands and refusal to make meaningful concessions on its nuclear program has put the military option back on the table.
Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and possibly Key West, Fla., 90 miles north of Havana, according to classified intelligence shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The intelligence — which could become a pretext for U.S. military action — shows the degree to which the Trump administration sees Cuba as a threat because of developments in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana, a senior U.S. official said.
Some close advisers to President Trump fear the biggest substantive result of the China summit is heightened danger that Chinese President Xi Jinping will invade Taiwan in the next five years, potentially choking off the chips used to power AI to U.S. companies.
What they're saying: Trump loved the pageantry and the special access Xi shrewdly rolled out during the Beijing visit. But the words didn't match the bonhomie. One Trump adviser told us Xi is "trying to move China to a new position where he's saying: 'We're not a rising power. We're your equal. And Taiwan is mine.'"
