US President Donald Trump warned that Iran had “maximum” 15 days to reach a deal on its nuclear program “or it’s going to be unfortunate for them.”
The US has deployed significant forces to the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, and representatives of Washington and Tehran have met to discuss curtailing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. But the talks have made little tangible progress, and Iran partially closed the vital Strait of Hormuz for military drills.
Iranian leaders “increasingly see war as inevitable,” an expert wrote in the Financial Times, and are betting that a drawn-out conflict would spark patriotic fervor in Iran and war fatigue in the US public, paving the way for a more favorable agreement.