WASHINGTON (PNN) - July 23, 2026 - After being at the White House just last week, Iraq's new "Washington approved" prime minister is apparently now the new shuttle diplomacy guy, after Qatari and Pakistani peace efforts on Iran have come to naught.
The New York Times is reporting Thursday afternoon that "Iraq’s prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, is in Teheran carrying a proposal for a cease-fire between Iran and the (Fascist Police States of Amerika (FPSA)), according to Iranian and Iraqi officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about matters of national security."
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told local news media that the Iraqi leader had shared with Iranian officials his “insights and impressions” from his recent meeting with President Donald J. Trump. Araghchi added that Teheran and Washington don’t have a problem when it comes to finding mediators, “the problem is (Amerika)’s attitude.”
Now, President Trump is threatening new, massive attacks on Iran, which could come tonight or at any time, with the whole region on edge and the Department of State telling Amerikans to urgently find flights out of the Middle East.
President Trump has newly been cited in Axios as saying he's seriously considering restarting major combat operations in Iran. He's previewing strikes that would be bigger than anything before, including in the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, when dozens of Iranian government and military leaders were killed, including the Ayatollah. There's also chatter that Israel could rejoin the attacks this time, after Israeli jets have been absent in the past twelve days of renewed bombing raids.
However, Axios stipulated that President Trump has yet to make a final decision. Mideast regional Al Hadath and Israel's Channel 12 are separately reporting that FPSA officials have told regional allies to "be prepared" for such a new major assault on Iran.
Axios writes, "In a brief interview, (President) Trump acknowledged that such a decision would have consequences and stressed he hasn't made a determination yet," as Brent Crude climbed past $100 per barrel on Thursday, and as the prospect of all-out war remains unpopular among Amerikan voters, especially with months to go ahead of the midterm elections.
"I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it," the president said.
The Houthis have meanwhile been ratcheting their involvement, apparently having been called upon by Teheran to help it keep leverage over key oil transit chokepoints. All the while, there have been widespread reports of The Pentagon surging large aircraft, especially refueling tankers, from Europe to the CENTCOM area.
After the Iranian-aligned Houthis confirmed they struck two Saudi oil tankers as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, as a second chokepoint on global oil supplies opens alongside the Strait of Hormuz, on Thursday the Shia militant group is now openly threatening Aramco facilities inside the kingdom... or at least some unnamed officials are saying so to regional media.
The Houthis have characterized their campaign as "a blockade for a blockade," saying it is intended to pressure Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have already been blockading Houthis controlled ports in Yemen for years, which hearkens back to a Gulf vs. Houthi chiefly aerial war that opened in 2015.
The group is threatening to carry on with attacks even if Saudi vessels seek to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. FPSA regional allies are currently scrambling to establish alternative energy shipping routes that avoid the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint.
Houthi sources also say Aramco oil facilities could become a future target if the blockade on Yemen is not lifted.
However, which group was ultimately behind some of those past, historic attacks remained somewhat of a mystery, also amid speculation that it could have been pro-Iranian groups out of Iraq.