Gulf Readies for War as US-Iran 'Talks' Remain a Fiction
A Kuwaiti source says the Gulf is preparing for intense war, while Washington and Tehran dispute whether talks exist at all.
Gulf Readies for War as US-Iran 'Talks' Remain a Fiction — A Kuwaiti source close to the government told Kan News on Monday that Kuwait is preparing for a scenario of intense war against Iran, signaling a shift "from defense to attack" in the Gulf.[^1] The report arrives as Israel's own assessments, carried by ynet and cursor, describe Tehran's hawkish leadership preparing for an offensive move — with cursor adding specifics on falling traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and a hidden facility called Pikex Mountain.[^2] The contrast in framing matters: ynet treats the escalation as an intelligence exclusive, while cursor grounds it in Iran's economic vulnerability.[^2] The diplomatic track remains a hall of mirrors. Jared Kushner, Trump's special envoy, said Monday evening that talks with Iran are "better than ever," but understandings have not been reached.[^3] Revolutionary Guard spokesman Hossein Moghbi flatly denied any contact: "There are no talks between Revolutionary Guard officials and Americans. This lie of Trump's is nothing but a fantasy."[^3] Turkey's Erdogan, in a phone call, urged Trump to keep talking — a nudge that reads as much about Ankara's regional ambitions as about de-escalation.[^4] Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti source's war preparations suggest the Gulf is not waiting for diplomacy to fail; it is planning as if it already has. The disconnect between Washington's optimism and Gulf readiness is the story. If the administration's "talks" are as fictional as Tehran insists, then the region is bracing for a conflict that the White House may not see coming — or may be unwilling to name. Likud Primaries: Votes, Shekels, and Reserved Slots — Workers at Israel Aerospace Industries in Yehud were led from their offices directly to a Likud polling station on Monday, where each received an envelope with a pre-filled voting slip. An eyewitness said the workers "didn't ask questions, they were like a herd, one after another."[^1] The scene, captured on video, feeds a broader narrative of manipulation: a Haredi young man claimed he received 400 shekels to vote, another said he got "a bit more."[^2] Likud ministers defended the process at the ICC in Jerusalem.