Trump’s whipsaw strategy with Iran has global leaders worried

<p>It's been a week of escalating rhetoric from President Donald Trump with regards to Iran, starting with threats to power plants and bridges on Monday morning. By Tuesday, Trump had posted on Truth Social that 'A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.' But then as the Tuesday deadline approached, Trump tried a different tack and announced a two-week ceasefire. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/04/09/trump-ceasefire-lebanon-iran-war-israel-updates--live/89526832007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Will the U.S. and Iran soon reach an agreement to end the war?</a> USA TODAY White House Correspondent Zac Anderson joined The Excerpt to share his insights.</p><p>Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to <a href="mailto:podcasts@usatoday.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcasts@usatoday.com</a>.</p><p>Episode transcript <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/09/all-eyes-are-on-the-strait-of-hormuz-the-excerpt/89532092007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">available here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>