[EARLIER TODAY] — [CBN News] The US is preparing for negotiations with Iran and for war against the Islamic Republic at the same time. The Iranian people and the rest of the Middle East wait to see what happens next.

President Trump is urging the regime's leaders to abandon their nuclear program and make a deal.

"I'd like to see a deal negotiated," Trump stated. "I don't know that that's going to happen. Right now we're talking to them, we're talking to Iran, and if we could work something out, that'd be great. And if we can't, probably, probably bad things would happen."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of talks, according to the Iranian media. The Foreign Ministry says it's reviewing the possibilities."

Spokesman Esmail Baghei announced, "All parties have exchanged various opinions. At present, we are examining and making decisions on this issue."

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is due in Israel on Tuesday for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He's then expected to meet with Iran's foreign minister later in the week, possibly in Turkey.

Without naming Iran, in an address to the Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there are challenges ahead for Israel.

"More testing moments await us. But we are vigilant and prepared for any development," Netanyahu remarked. "We are monitoring the situation and are ready for any scenario. Anyone who attacks us will face unbearable consequences as far as he is concerned."

Despite the talk of negotiations, both the US and Israel are preparing for war.

Israeli naval vessels and a US Navy destroyer held a joint exercise in the Red Sea on Sunday. The Israel Defense Forces noted that the arrival of the destroyer at the port "highlights the close cooperation between the two navies and the respective militaries." (Screengrab image: via CBN News)

Under intense security, Israel reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday, allowing people to cross, but not goods.

The Times of Israel published a decade-old photo showing a Gaza doctor wearing a Hamas uniform.

Kan News in Israel revealed that Hamas' leadership sent a secret document to the terror group's officials in Gaza ahead of the installation of a new government, according to a report in Israel National News.

It revealed how Hamas plans to continue ruling and managing the Gaza Strip after a new government is installed, which contradicts the phased Trump plan. That plan calls for the complete dismantling of Hamas.

Pulse of Israel's Avi Abelow contends that both Iran and its proxy Hamas are employing a hudna, an ancient Islamic tactic to buy time and rebuild their strength. (Screengrab image: via CBN News)

"A hudna is a pause, saying, 'Okay, we can't win now. We'll make a temporary peace deal so that when our enemies are either weak or they don't see it coming, and we're strong again, we will then attack again to destroy our enemies.' That is exactly what Muhammad did back in 628 (AD)."

Abelow believes the West needs to wake up and understand that the only way to deal with jihadi ideology is to defeat it, and he argues that Israel is not the only target for Hamas.

He told CBN News, "This is a society that's at war to not only destroy Israel, but jihad is about taking over the world in the name of Islam. It's about first going after the Saturday people. That's the Jews. Then going after the Sunday people, that's the Christians. And they are in the process of doing this across Europe, Australia, Canada. They're in the process of doing this in America, even without raising a sword."

Abelow thinks that Trump understands this, even in his dealings with Iran.

"President Trump, I believe, knows that it's a game and he's basically allowing them to play it through," Abelow said. "And, eventually, he is going to attack because he's going to find out that he won't be able to achieve his goals by the Iranian Islamic regime playing its games as if it's talking, but never really giving up on what the Trump administration wants to achieve." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Julie Stahl is a correspondent for CBN News in the Middle East.

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