If you’re confused about the Iran saga and don’t know whether there’ll be another war or a peace deal, you’re not the only one. In fact, according to certain factions within Iran, evenDonald Trump himself doesn’t know what he’s going to do, and the entire geopolitical dilemma has turned into a game of Jenga tower being constantly kicked over by a very specific Israeli prime minister.
A hardline Iranian investigative journalist with proven access to establishment insiders posted a tweet on May 25 that laid out exactly what he says happened behind the scenes of the collapsing Iran negotiations.
As you may know, the deal was very close to being finalized according to multiple sources like The Washington Post, CNN, and Reuters, and some even suggested that it may be signed and announced Sunday morning. But by the evening of May 24, there were conflicting reports from both sides claiming that a breakthrough had stalled out.
Now, according to this journalist, Ali Gholhaki, Netanyahu’s phone call with Trump in the afternoon was enough to yank U.S. policy back to what he dubbed “No Dust, No Dollars,” meaning that the U.S. will not agree to the release of Iran’s frozen assets until they give up its infamous 400kg worth of enriched uranium.
Axios has also reported that the phone call between Trump and Netanyahu was tense, leaving “Bibi’s hair on fire.” NPR confirmed that Netanyahu explicitly pushed back against the diplomatic track, while Trump said he still believed a deal was reachable. And CNN reported that Netanyahu told Trump on Tuesday that postponing the planned strikes was “a mistake” and that he should proceed as planned.
For his part, Trump has described his relationship with Netanyahu as one of total deference, insisting that “Bibi will do whatever I want.” The events of the past couple of months beg to differ.
On the Iranian side, the response to the collapsed framework has been a recalibration of its own red lines. According to Gholhaki’s tweet, Iran has now raised its enrichment ceiling from 3.67% to 20%, and the uranium isn’t going anywhere either.
So, again, it’s still unclear whether the U.S. is heading toward a ceasefire or a second round of strikes (or third, if you count the 12 Day War in June 2025) but what is becoming increasingly obvious is the implication that Netanyahu has a veto on American foreign policy.
The so-called “No dust, no dollars” doctrine may not have originated from the Oval Office at all.
Published: May 24, 2026 09:41 pm