Top US general reportedly looking for ‘off-ramp’ from Iran war

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they unfold.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has privately said in recent weeks that the United States needs “an off-ramp” from the war with Iran, believing that the military options currently being considered could backfire and that airstrikes alone are unlikely to accomplish the administration’s goals, CNN reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The report says Caine isn’t the only administration official to believe the US is at a crossroads in the war and that he has discussed the possibility of an off-ramp with other top advisers of the president, including Vice President JD Vance, CIA chief John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella is sworn in as Colombia’s new president, after winning a June runoff on promises to crack down on armed groups, shrink the state by as much as 40%, restore ties with Israel and revive the oil and gas sector.

An ally of US President Donald Trump, de la Espriella, 48, represented well-known right-wing paramilitaries during his time as a lawyer. He has never before held elected office.

His ascension to office brings Colombia’s first-ever leftist government to a close.

A US federal prosecutor fired last year over critical comments he had written as a private citizen about US President Donald Trump sues the Justice Department, saying his termination violated his First Amendment rights.

Will Rosenzweig was two weeks away from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case when a blog he had written years earlier covering a broad range of topics was publicized online by a conservative political commentator who also included a screenshot of Rosenzweig’s LinkedIn account and tagged senior Justice Department officials for their awareness.

Less than three hours after the post, the lawsuit says, Rosenzweig received an email signed by then-US Attorney General Pam Bondi informing him that he had been fired. The news came as Rosenzweig was out of town with his family observing Rosh Hashanah.

The September 2025 termination was part of a sweeping personnel purge over the last year and a half inside the Justice Department, which has fired prosecutors who worked on investigations into Trump and others seen as being against the administration’s efforts.

A lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami, where Rosenzweig worked as a federal prosecutor for five years, seeks reinstatement to the job as well as backpay and a court order declaring his firing unlawful.

The complaint says Rosenzweig was a highly respected prosecutor who received “consistent praise and awards” and was so highly valued in his office that he was told just weeks before his firing that he would be getting a special parking spot due to his performance.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declines to comment, citing pending litigation.

A US official claims that progress has been made in talks between Iran and Oman aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“We expect a deal soon,” a US official says in a statement sent to querying reporters.

US President Donald Trump has been claiming a deal is imminent since Saturday, when he called off a major military strike against Iranian energy sites. Recent reports have indicated that the sides have reached a framework agreement.

“Once a deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the US will lift the blockade of Iranian ports,” the US official says.

“US actions will continue to be performance-based and tied to Iran’s implementation of its commitments,” the official adds.

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