WHO WILL BLINK? President Donald Trump gathered his national security team to review Iran’s latest proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz in return for an end to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and a permanent ceasefire that would push nuclear talks into the future. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the meeting took place, but provided no details. “I don’t want to get ahead of the president or his national security team,” Leavitt said. “What I will reiterate is that the president’s red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well.” The New York Times, citing “multiple people briefed on discussions in the White House Situation Room,” said Trump was “not satisfied” with the Iranian offer, while the Wall Street Journal reported that “Trump and his national security team are skeptical” of the plan. In an interview with Fox News yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it wasn’t clear that a proposal that Iran sent on Saturday — which President Trump described to reporters in Palm Beach as a “new paper that was much better” — was something they could work with. “It’s better than what we thought they were going to submit,” Rubio said. “I think there are still questions about whether the person submitting it had the authority to submit that offer, about whether it’s real – and what it means.” Asked by Fox’s Trey Yingst whether the Iranians are serious about making a deal, Rubio replied. “I think they’re serious about figuring out how they can buy themselves more time.” “We can’t let them get away with it. They’re very good negotiators. They’re very experienced negotiators, and we have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.” US AND IRAN STUCK IN ‘GAME OF DIPLOMATIC CHICKEN’ RUBIO: STRAIT IS ‘AN ECONOMIC NUCLEAR WEAPON’: Rubio says Iran is hoping its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz with intimidation from its small “mosquito fleet” will be a bargaining chip that will get the U.S. to blink. “The straits is basically the equivalent of an economic nuclear weapon that they’re trying to use against the world, and they’re bragging about it,” Rubio told Fox. “They’re putting up billboards in Tehran bragging about how they can hold 25% or 20% of the world’s energy hostage.” “If what they mean by opening the straits is, ‘Yes, the straits are open as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we’ll blow you up, and you pay us,’ that’s not opening the straits,” Rubio said. “Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use an international waterway and how much you have to pay them to use it.” RUBIO: IRAN WANTS TO DO TO WORLD ‘WITH A NUCLEAR WEAPON WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW WITH OIL’ SMITH: IRAN OFFER ‘COMPLETELY UNSATISFACTORY’: In an appearance on CNN yesterday, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, argued that Trump has boxed himself in. The latest Iran offer would be “completely unsatisfactory,” he said, “but at this point, it may be the best we could do.” “I think it really highlights, again, the strategic failure of this war,” Smith continued. “Iran was as weak as it had been in a couple of decades … We were in the midst of a negotiation over their nuclear program and other things. And then we started this war and really strengthened the hardliners and sort of let Iran know that they could take our best punch and stand.” In his Fox interview, Rubio conceded that the “harder” hard-liners are making negotiations difficult. “You see a tension … between the Iranians who understand let’s be hardliners but let’s also balance that with the need to run a country, and the hardliners who don’t care and have this apocalyptic vision of the future,” Rubio said. “Unfortunately, the hardliners, with an apocalyptic vision of the future, have the ultimate power in that country.” “One of the impediments here is that our negotiators aren’t just negotiating with Iranians,” Rubio said. “Those Iranians then have to negotiate with other Iranians in order to figure out what they can agree to, what they can offer, what they’re willing to do, even who they’re willing to meet with.” GERMAN CHANCELLOR SAYS US IS BEING ‘HUMILIATED’ BY IRAN Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE HAPPENING TODAY: It’s a busy day for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which begins with a 10:30 a.m. meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump, includes a 3 p.m. address to a joint meeting of the House and Senate, and ends with a State dinner at the White House at 8 p.m. Charles will be the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, and, like his mother, is expected to underscore how the special relationship between the U.S. and U.K. has endured despite past tensions and turmoil. “This is really important to his majesty, the king, but it’s really important to the U.K. It’s really important, I think, for our relationship,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on CNN. “We are here because this is the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. And it is, I think, really symbolic of the strength of our relationship through very, very many generations that we want in the U.K. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of what was effectively our defeat.” The royal couple, Charles and Camilla, will continue their U.S. trip later this week with stops in New York City and Virginia. CHARLES GOES TO WASHINGTON: KING VISITS TRUMP WITH ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ AT A LOW BLANCHE: ‘LAW ENFORCEMENT DID NOT FAIL’: At a press conference following the arraignment of Cole Tomas Allen, who was charged with attempted assassination of the president, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the security plans for the Washington Hilton ballroom worked just as they intended. “Law enforcement did not fail,” Blanche said. “They did exactly what they are trained to do. This was not an accident. It was a result, as we know now, of preparation.” “The President and all the protectees and participants at the dinner were safe,” Blanche said. “I want to make this clear, this man was a floor above the ballroom with hundreds of federal agents between him and the president of the United States.” “The men and women who protected us that night were trained, professional, and had an enduring commitment to the rule of law … The officers who responded without hesitation and did their jobs as they were trained to do.” On CNN, a former Secret Service agent, Jeffrey James, who now runs his own security company, said there are many misconceptions about how security is provided when the president attends an event in a public space, such as the Washington Hilton, an operating hotel with 1,000 rooms. “We can’t shut down a business,” James explained. “When the president goes to the Super Bowl, we don’t shut down the stadium and not let 80,000 people in. And we also don’t screen 80,000 people. We do it just like we did at the hotel. We cordon off the area where the president is going to be, and we build our security out from there.” Many of the guests at Saturday’s Correspondents’ dinner remarked on social media that they were able to get access to the ballroom without presenting ID or a valid ticket. The alleged gunman himself thought the security was lax, writing in an email to his family, “Like, I expected security cameras at every bend, bugged hotel rooms, armed agents every 10 feet, metal detectors out the wazoo,” Allen wrote. “I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.” But James explained the Secret Service is not there to search everyone who enters the hotel, or check who has a ticket to the event. They have but one job — make sure no one with a weapon gets anywhere near the president. “Screening for tickets happens separately. We screen for weapons. So once you get to us, it’s not up to the Secret Service to uninvite anyone from any event, especially if the president has invited them, unless they do have a weapon,” James said. “We purely screen for weapons. We’re not about invitations and tickets.” OPINION: WHAT THE SECRET SERVICE DID WELL AND NOT SO WELL THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Cole Allen charged with attempting to assassinate Trump Washington Examiner: Secret Service ‘changes possible’ after WHCA dinner shooting Washington Examiner: Security protocol will look ‘completely different’ for White House media dinner redo: Kash Patel Washington Examiner: Opinion: What the Secret Service did well and not so well Washington Examiner: WHCA dinner shooting reignites calls to nuke filibuster Washington Examiner: US and Iran stuck in ‘game of diplomatic chicken’ Washington Examiner: German chancellor says US is being ‘humiliated’ by Iran Washington Examiner: Rubio: Iran wants to do to world ‘with a nuclear weapon what they are doing now with oil’ Washington Examiner: Oil shock worsens as Strait of Hormuz closure nears two months Washington Examiner: Hezbollah chief says the ‘resistance’ cannot ‘be defeated’ despite disarmament push Washington Examiner: Charles goes to Washington: King visits Trump with ‘special relationship’ at a low Washington Examiner: Mamdani and King Charles to attend 9/11 ceremony in New York City: What to know Washington Examiner: Senate Democrats probing if DOD ‘failed to protect’ six US troops killed in Kuwait Washington Examiner: GOP bill will authorize $400M in taxpayer dollars to White House ballroom: Graham AP: Tired and worried, seafarers have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for weeks The Telegraph: Here in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futile The Atlantic: The Pentagon May Not Be Telling Trump the Full Picture About the War AP: Iran’s economy has been battered. Its leaders still think Trump will blink first Wall Street Journal: Iran Is Flooded With So Much Unsold Oil That It’s Stashing It in Derelict Tanks Washington Post: House may scrap DHS funding bill, likely extending agency’s shutdown Reuters: North Korea’s Kim to Continue Support for Russia, State Media Says Wall Street Journal: Appeals Court Says Pentagon Can Temporarily Mandate Escorts for Journalists AP: US soldier charged with using intel to win $400K on Maduro raid to appear in court in NYC Air & Space Forces Magazine: Commercial Tech Funding Baked in to Space Force Budget, Officials Say Breaking Defense: CSO Saltzman: Focus Space Acquisition on ‘Minimum Viable Capabilities’ DefenseScoop: Navy Conducts First Test Flight of MQ-25 Tanker Drone Air & Space Forces Magazine: SOCOM Cuts Back on Skyraider, Wants 100 Small Drones to Pair with MQ-9s Task & Purpose: Pentagon’s Drone Strategy Calls for Putting $54 Billion DAWG in the Fight Air Force Times: US Air Force Looks to Launch Cheap Missiles from Cargo Aircraft Defense One: Pentagon Adds Google’s Latest Model to GenAI.mil as Usage Soars Air & Space Forces Magazine: Sabbaticals for Pilots? Lawmakers Eye Extra Incentives Amid Manning Shortfall Defense News: Global Military Spending Surges and Reaches Record High Air & Space Forces Magazine: Netherlands Funds Two CCAs in New Partnership with US Air Force THE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | APRIL 28 8:45 a.m. 515 Colshire Dr., McLean, Virginia — Mitre Corporation summit: “Beyond Barriers: Acquisition on a War Footing,” with Michael Duffey, undersecretary defense for acquisition and sustainment; and Air Force Gen. Dale White, director, Defense Department Critical Major Weapon Systems https://www.mitre.org/focus-areas/defense-intelligence/beyond-barriers 9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “The posture of the U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Cyber Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2027 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Derrick Anderson, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; Katherine Sutton, assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy; Adm. Frank Bradley, commander, U.S. Special Operation Command; and Army Gen. Joshua Rudd, commander, U.S. Cyber Command, director, National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service http://www.armed-services.senate.gov 10 a.m. 2167 Rayburn — House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing: “Review of the Coast Guard’s FY2027 Budget Request.” http://transportation.house.gov 10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “What To Do About Cuba?” with Michael Bustamante, associate professor of history at the University of Miami; former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Ricardo Zuniga, founding partner of Dinamica Americas; and Aaron David Miller, senior fellow, CEIP American Statecraft Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/04/what-to-do-about-cuba 10:15 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Belgium’s defense minister on the future of transatlantic security relations,” with Belgium Minister of Defense and Foreign Trade Theo Francken; and Jorn Fleck, senior director, Atlantic Council Europe Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/belgiums-defense-minister 3 p.m. House Chamber — U.S. House of Representatives joint meeting with the U.S. Senate to receive an address from King Charles III, The King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. WEDNESDAY | APRIL 29 10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Department of Defense FY2027 Budget Request,” with testimony from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine http://www.armedservices.house.gov 11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion: Korean Messiah: Kim II Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’s Personality Cult,” with author Jonathan Cheng, China bureau chief, Wall Street Journal; and Victor Cha, president, CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and CSIS Korea chair https://www.csis.org/events/impossible-state-live-podcast-korean-messiah 2:30 p.m. 124 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President’s FY2027 Budget Request for the National Nuclear Security Administration,” with testimony from Brandon Williams, administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; David Beck, deputy administrator for defense programs, National Nuclear Security Administration; Matthew Napoli, deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation, National Nuclear Security Administration http://appropriations.senate.gov THURSDAY | APRIL 30 9:30 a.m. 2358-C Rayburn — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “Budget Hearing – The U.S. Air Force and Space Force,” with testimony from Air Force Secretary Troy Meink; Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations; and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach http://appropriations.house.gov 12 p.m. — Association of the United States Army virtual discussion: “Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier: How Soldier for Life Builds Lifelong Readiness,” with Lt. Cmdr. Ray Wilson, regional director of Soldier for Life; Master Sgt. Nicholas Vargas, senior enlisted adviser for Soldiers for Life; and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Abernethy, senior director of AUSA Non-Commissioned Officer and Soldier Programs https://ausa.org/events/noon-report/soldier-for-life 1 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “U.S.-Israel Technology and Security,” with Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX); and Joel Rayburn, senior fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East https://www.hudson.org/events/sustaining-edge-conversation 3 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research book discussion: Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’s Personality Cult,” with author Jonathan Cheng, Wall Street Journal China bureau chief https://www.aei.org/events/korean-messiah-the-religious-and-ideological-roots-of-north-koreas FRIDAY | MAY 1 9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Case for a Cold Peace with North Korea,” with former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert, CSIS non-resident senior adviser and CSIS Korea chair; Robert Gallucci, professor, practice of diplomacy at Georgetown University; Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow in the Brookings Institution Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy and Technology; and Victor Cha, president of the CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and CSIS Korea chair https://www.csis.org/events/case-cold-peace-north-korea 5 p.m. Sedona, Ariz.— McCain Institute 2026 Sedona Forum: “Challenges to American Dominance” https://www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/events/the-sedona-forum-2026/ 2:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Association of the U.S. Army discussion: “Strategic Landpower Dialogue,” with Maj. Gen. Lars Lervik, chair, Norwegian Army; and Tom Karako, director, CSIS Missile Defense Project and senior fellow in the CSIS Defense and Security Project https://www.csis.org/events/strategic-landpower-dialogue-conversation 3 p.m. 1201 South Joyce St. — Air & Space Forces Association event: “Salute to Space: The Legacy of General Bernard Schriever,” with Brig. Gen. Christopher Fernengel, director of plans and programs at the Space Force; retired Gen. David Thompson, former vice chief of space operations at the Space Force; retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas “Tav” Taverny, chairman of the Board of the Schriever Chapter; and Master Sgt. Brett Schriever, great-grandson of Air Force Gen. Bernard Schriever Register at https://www.afa.org/salute-to-space Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/c/AirSpaceForcesAssociation
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| “We see how courageously and heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence and sovereignty. And, of course, we very much hope that, relying on this courage and determination for independence, the Iranian people, under the leadership of their new leader, will go through this difficult period of trials and that peace will come. For our part, we will do everything that meets your interests and the interests of all peoples in the region in order to ensure that this peace is achieved as quickly as possible.” |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St Petersburg on Monday |
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