Year of the day

1980

That’s when silver’s last record price of $48.70 was set, surviving for 45 years until yesterday (Monday) when the precious metal pushed past the $50 barrier. Silver’s 78% gain this year is outpacing gold’s 56% — both reflect a rush for safe-havens, but silver’s surge is also the result of low inventories in London (a key silver trading hub).

Talk of the region

Now that Donald Trump has addressed Israel’s Knesset then signed a deal in Egypt he says will reshape the region — all on a Monday — here are five quotes you need to know. 

1. “The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace”

Per his style, the president eventually went off script (with jokes about soldiers from central casting), but his more poetic opening captured the relief out on the streets from Jaffa to Jabalia, as hostage and prisoner families celebrated in real time.

It wasn’t all cheers, though: inside the chamber, two Israeli lawmakers yelled “terrorist” at the US president while unfurling a “recognise Palestine” banner. And inside Gaza, Hamas was busy carrying out public executions of alleged collaborators, while vast crowds of locals returned to their ruined homes.

2. “Even to Iran […], the hand of friendship and cooperation is open. I'm telling you, they want to make a deal”

At one point, Trump declared, “it's time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

How? Whereas the US president only mentioned Hamas three times, he name-dropped the group’s Iranian sponsors 18 times, including a ~four-minute segment recapping both the US-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, plus the need for Tehran to recognise Israel’s right to exist. Translation: he argues a changed Middle East requires a changed Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s own messages have been mixed: its foreign minister (Araghchi) cited US airstrikes and sanctions in declining Egypt’s invite to the Gaza summit (see below), though Araghchi also told state TV on Saturday, "if we receive a reasonable, balanced, and fair proposal from the Americans for negotiations, we will certainly consider it".

3. “Hey, I have an idea. Mister President, why don't you give him a pardon?” 

With the war over, Bibi’s 2020-era corruption trial will now resume, including on claims he pressured Israeli outlets, disrupted legal proceedings, and accepted luxury gifts.

So, declaring him “one of the greatest wartime leaders”, Trump publicly called for Bibi to get clemency, while pointing at the Israeli president (Herzog) with the power to grant it.

And Trump didn’t hold back on the charges: “Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares?”

While brief and almost light, Trump’s remarks were Netanyahu’s dream, given the genuine standing the US president now enjoys across a polarised Israeli society.

Now, over to the Gaza peace conference in Egypt ✈️

4. “We hereby commit to the resolution of future disputes through diplomatic engagement and negotiation rather than through force or protracted conflict”

If that doesn’t sound like Trump, you’re right — it’s text from The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity (pictured above), which the US president signed alongside his counterparts from mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.

But two big signatures were missing from the bottom line: Israel and Hamas. Israel’s Netanyahu scored an invite from Trump, until Turkey’s Erdogan reportedly found out mid-flight, working the phones from his jet above Egypt until Netanyahu quietly withdrew.

Ditto, Hamas says it was represented on the day via the above mediators, but the fact none of the combatants signed the deal has revived doubts around their commitment.

Meanwhile, the fact ~30 other world leaders were there just to watch the signature is a reminder how much this war has rocked capitals everywhere: we’re talking leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the UN. Weirdly, even the FIFA boss was there, pulling some kind of reverse Salt Bae.

5. "This took 3,000 years to get to this point, can you believe it? And it's going to hold up too”

There are still lots of unanswered questions around this deal, like whether Hamas will disarm, whether Israel will fully withdraw, and whether Trump’s international stabilisation force will get legs. But for now, the US leader is leaning into the history of getting this far.

Meanwhile, Israel’s defence minister is already accusing Hamas of breaching the deal, after the group announced it was only returning four of the promised 28 dead hostages.

Intrigue’s Take

This is obviously a victory lap for Trump, who has (love him or not) yet again shrugged off the fatalism that often permeates Middle East diplomacy, ditching quiet, patient statecraft in favour of his more intuitive brand of high-stakes bravado and leverage.

The result looks like the closest we’ve come to peace in years, and the US president says this final push only started coming together three weeks ago on the side-lines of the UN!

But maybe it’s that same mix of compressed timeline, hardball strategy, and unresolved questions that all leaves us wondering if this deal is more pressure valve than panacea. Still, there’s so much war exhaustion let alone devastation, the world seems keen to take this deal, whatever it is.

Sound even smarter:

• The European Broadcasting Union has postponed a planned vote on Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest following the Gaza ceasefire, saying the issue will now be discussed at its regular December assembly.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Extra Intrigue

Here’s what people around the world are googling

• 🇮🇹 Italians, never a people to gossip, searched for ‘Katy Perry’ after pics emerged of the pop star cosied up with former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

• 🇧🇷 Brazilians looked up ‘3i Atlas’ after space agencies shared pictures of the rare interstellar comet.

• And 🇦🇺 Aussies googled ‘Coles chocolate donuts missing’ after the local chain’s variant of the beloved treat mysteriously disappeared from the shelves.

(ex)Embassy of the day

If you were to stroll by the Venezuelan embassy in Oslo, you might admire its vaguely Hansel-and-Gretel-esque architecture then move on.

But as of yesterday (Monday), you might also notice it’s now closed!

The embassy didn’t offer the Norwegians a reason, but the Maduro regime says it’s just (together with ditching Venezuela’s embassy in Australia) part of a “strategic reassigning of resources” towards new embassies in friendlier Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso.

Of course, it’s likely also the Maduro regime’s response to Norway’s Nobel Committee awarding Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado the 2025 Peace Prize.

Today’s poll

Yesterday’s poll: If you could only eat one cuisine for the rest of your life, what'd it be?

🇨🇳 Chinese (8%)
🇫🇷 French (9%)
🇮🇳 Indian (10%)
🇮🇹 Italian (35%)
🇯🇵 Japanese (10%)
🇲🇽 Mexican (14%)
🇲🇦 Moroccan (1%)
🇵🇪 Peru (1%)
🇹🇷 Turkish (3%)
✍️ Other (write us!) (9%)

Your two cents:

• 🇮🇹 E.R: “Italian food runs the whole gamut of flavours and tastes, as well as a variety of ingredients. And the wines!!! And the grappas!! And the Amaros! And the espresso!!! What else do you need?”

• 🇯🇵 C.T.T.M: “Japanese food is both delicious and healthy.”

• 🇮🇳 C.M: “Indian food has everything for any diet. Plus, the spices are extraordinary and the meals are so filling!”

• 🇲🇽 R.D: “Versatility meets simplicity in Mexico, where you can make endless combinations and flavors spanning the entire spectrum.”

• Honourable mentions: US, Thai, Vietnamese, Australian, Greek, Jamaican, Lebanese, Brazilian, and Ethiopian cuisine!