{"id":62274,"date":"2026-05-23T12:38:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T16:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-weighs-50-50-choice-between-iran-deal-and-military-strikes-zelensky-warns-of-hypersonic-threat\/62274\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T12:38:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T16:38:22","slug":"trump-weighs-50-50-choice-between-iran-deal-and-military-strikes-zelensky-warns-of-hypersonic-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-weighs-50-50-choice-between-iran-deal-and-military-strikes-zelensky-warns-of-hypersonic-threat\/62274\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Weighs &#8220;50\/50&#8221; Choice Between Iran Deal and Military Strikes; Zelensky Warns of Hypersonic Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>President Trump is &quot;50\/50&quot; on a decision to either finalize a &quot;good deal&quot; with Iran or launch military strikes with &quot;unprecedented force.&quot;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Ukraine\u2019s President Zelensky has warned of an imminent Russian strike using the &quot;Oreshnik&quot; hypersonic missile, citing intelligence from the U.S. and Europe.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>A high-stakes conference call is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 PM ET between Trump and leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Global markets remain cautious with Bitcoin (<a href=\"\/stock\/BTC\">BTC<\/a>) trading down 0.63% at $75,542 and US Oil (<a href=\"\/stock\/USOIL\">USOIL<\/a>) slipping 0.68% to $95.95.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> has signaled that a definitive turning point in U.S.-Iran relations is imminent, stating he is currently &quot;50\/50&quot; on whether to sign a new agreement or resume military action. Speaking to sources, Trump indicated that any acceptable deal must strictly address <strong>uranium enrichment<\/strong> levels and the fate of Iran&#39;s current <strong>nuclear stockpile<\/strong>. A final decision is expected as early as Sunday following a review of the latest draft agreement with senior advisors, including Vice President <strong>JD Vance<\/strong>, <strong>Jared Kushner<\/strong>, and <strong>Steve Witkoff<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>To coordinate regional support and discuss the potential fallout, Trump is holding a critical conference call today with a coalition of leaders from <strong>Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, <strong>Qatar<\/strong>, the <strong>UAE<\/strong>, <strong>Egypt<\/strong>, <strong>Turkey<\/strong>, and <strong>Pakistan<\/strong>. This diplomatic push comes as mediators, led by <strong>Pakistan<\/strong>, report &quot;encouraging progress&quot; toward a memorandum of understanding that could potentially reopen the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>. However, the threat of &quot;total destruction&quot; remains on the table if negotiations fail to meet U.S. security requirements.<\/p>\n<p>In Eastern Europe, President <strong>Volodymyr Zelensky<\/strong> has alerted the international community to intelligence suggesting <strong>Russia<\/strong> is preparing a combined strike against <strong>Ukraine<\/strong>, specifically targeting <strong>Kyiv<\/strong>, using the <strong>Oreshnik<\/strong> hypersonic missile. Zelensky urged citizens to take air-raid warnings seriously, noting that the <strong>Oreshnik<\/strong> travels at over <strong>10 times the speed of sound<\/strong>, making it nearly impossible to intercept. Simultaneously, Zelensky has formally rejected a proposal for &quot;associate membership&quot; in the <strong>European Union<\/strong>, demanding full membership and voting rights for Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Tensions in the Middle East also escalated Saturday following an <strong>Israeli airstrike<\/strong> on the town of <strong>Saireh al-Gharbiyeh<\/strong> in southern Lebanon, which reportedly killed at least <strong>5 people<\/strong>. The strike underscores the fragility of the regional security situation as the U.S. weighs its next move regarding Iran. <em>Analysts suggest that a failure to reach a diplomatic solution could trigger a broader regional conflict, impacting global energy supplies and shipping lanes.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Financial markets are showing signs of &quot;wait-and-see&quot; volatility during weekend trading. <strong>Bitcoin (<a href=\"\/stock\/BTC\">BTC<\/a>)<\/strong> fell slightly to <strong>$75,542<\/strong>, while <strong>Bitcoin Cash (<a href=\"\/stock\/BCH\">BCH<\/a>)<\/strong> saw a sharper decline of <strong>6.6%<\/strong> to <strong>$348.68<\/strong>. In traditional markets, the <strong>DOW (<a href=\"\/stock\/DIA\">DIA<\/a>)<\/strong> and <strong>NASDAQ (<a href=\"\/stock\/QQQ\">QQQ<\/a>)<\/strong> saw marginal gains of <strong>0.06%<\/strong> and <strong>0.12%<\/strong> respectively, while <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/GLD\">GLD<\/a>)<\/strong> rose slightly to <strong>$4,512<\/strong> as investors sought safe-haven assets amid the heightened geopolitical uncertainty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways President Trump is &quot;50\/50&quot; on a decision to either finalize a &quot;good deal&quot; with Iran or launch military 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