00:04A new warning from Tehran tonight is raising fears of a dramatic military escalation in the
00:11Middle East. Could the United States launch strikes on Iran before President Donald Trump's
00:17upcoming visit to China? That's the explosive claim now circulating after Iranian advisor
00:24Mohamed Maranji accused the White House of using media leaks and market signals as part of a
00:30coordinated pressure campaign against Tehran. At the center of the controversy, a sudden Axios
00:37report claiming Washington and Iran were nearing a one-page deal to end the war. But Tehran says
00:44the story was never about diplomacy. It was about the markets and possibly about preparing the ground
00:51for something far more dangerous. Iranian political analyst and advisor Professor Mohamed Maranji
00:59has sharply rejected reports suggesting the United States and Iran are close to a ceasefire framework
01:06agreement. Maranji called the Axios story, quote, bizarre and accused the White House of deliberately
01:13floating negotiation leaks to manipulate oil markets. According to him, similar reports have surfaced
01:20repeatedly before major geopolitical moves or military escalations. Maranji claims Tehran views the
01:28reports not as genuine diplomacy, but as part of a broader hybrid strategy involving military pressure,
01:36sanctions, and media signaling. And he says Iran is fully preparing for the possibility of a major
01:42U.S. military attack in the coming days. The allegations gained even more attention after unusual trading
01:50activity in crude oil markets was flagged by the Kobisi letter. According to the report, nearly 10,000 crude
01:58oil short contracts worth roughly $920 million were placed at around 3.40 a.m. Eastern time. At that
02:07moment, there was no major public news event explaining the move. But just 70 minutes later, Axios reported
02:15that the U.S. and Iran were supposedly close to a 14-point memorandum aimed at ending the war. Oil
02:23prices then
02:24plunged more than 12 percent. The traders behind those short positions were suddenly sitting on an estimated
02:31$125 million in gains. Then came another dramatic reversal. After Iran announced the launch of the
02:40so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority, oil prices surged back nearly 8 percent within minutes. The sequence
02:49is now fueling speculation about possible coordinated market positioning tied to geopolitical developments.
02:56Despite the speculation, there is still no confirmed agreement between Washington and Iran.
03:03Iranian officials continue insisting that no formal deal exists and say they will not negotiate under
03:10military threats or economic pressure. Meanwhile, tensions across the Gulf remain extremely fragile.
03:18Shipping disruptions continue near the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. and Iranian military forces remain deployed at
03:26elevated readiness levels. And diplomatic affairs appear increasingly overshadowed by fears of another
03:33confrontation. Now, with Trump preparing for high-stakes diplomacy in Beijing, the next several days could
03:40become a critical turning point, either towards de-escalation or towards a dangerous new phase in the conflict.
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