Donald Trump is champing at the bit to launch devastating strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure, making dark jokes about the attack to his inner circle even as mediators desperately work to broker a last-minute deal before his 8 p.m. ET Tuesday deadline. According to reporting from Axios’s Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo, Trump is the most hawkish person in his entire administration — far more aggressive than Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who are being unfairly blamed for pushing escalation. “The president is the most bloodthirsty, like a mad dog,” one Trump insider told Axios, downplaying narratives that other cabinet members are the real warmongers. “Those guys sound like the doves compared to the president.” Trump has begun testing advisers and confidants on his plan to strike power plants and bridges by using coded language: “What do you think of Infrastructure Day?” A senior administration official acknowledged the brutal reality of the situation: “If the president sees a deal is coming together, he’ll probably hold off. But only he and he alone makes that decision.” A defense official said they were “skeptical” there would be any extension this time around. Trump’s negotiating team is pushing for a deal. Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner believe Trump should pursue a ceasefire agreement if possible. But they’re being outflanked by international pressure in the opposite direction. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia’s leadership, the UAE, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are all urging Trump to reject a ceasefire unless Iran makes seemingly impossible concessions: reopening the Strait of Hormuz and relinquishing highly enriched uranium. Trump’s advisers told mediators the president would need positive signals from Iran to consider extending the deadline. “We’re knee-deep in negotiations, anything can happen,” one said. But time is running out. “It will be extremely tense until Tuesday at 8pm,” a U.S. source close to Trump said, underscoring the stakes of what could be a catastrophic escalation.
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