Top US commander launches podcast joking about retirement as Trump weighs next Iran move

WASHINGTON — Iran is reviewing US-backed proposals on the fate of its nuclear program, as the top American commander in charge of combat operations oddly launched a podcast on Thursday making jokes about eating French fries and retiring to play basketball.A US official told The Post that Qatari officials have been mediating fresh discussions with Tehran about its nuclear program.At least three meetings on “concrete proposals” have occurred in the past week, The New York Times first reported, with summits in Tehran and Doha.Trump remained coy about his intentions, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I’ll have to.

You’ll know soon enough.”It’s unclear what details the documents may contain.Reuters reported later Thursday that Iran returned a copy of one nuclear proposal to the US via Qatari mediators.The news emerged as Adm.

Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, launched the new podcast “Inside CENTCOM” on YouTube featuring light-hearted banter — as Cooper’s head is on the chopping block following Republican midterm election losses driven by the war.“I never met a French fry I didn’t like, and thus the need to exercise frequently to balance that out,” Cooper confessed — as opponents and proponents of the war alike point to him as a possible fall guy for the longer-than-expected conflict, with focus also on Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.One source close to the White House blasted Cooper as “awful” and a “total neocon.” A Pentagon source conversely pointed to his past working under first lady Michelle Obama and then-second lady Jill Biden as executive director of the “Joining Forces” military family support program.“This explains why the war in Iran has been prosecuted like Obama would have prosecuted [it],” the second source said.“It is nuts and explains why it’s gone so badly.

Obama would do these pinprick strikes and Cooper essen...