Déjà vu: Trump again threatens massive escalation only to walk back
President Donald Trump is employing a high-pressure negotiation tactic against Iran, threatening military escalation before pulling back to allow for diplomacy. This strategy, which mirrors his past business and political maneuvers, is currently being tested by Iran's willingness to endure strategic pain.
Why it matters
The ongoing volatility in U.S.-Iran relations poses significant risks to global stability and impacts domestic political sentiment ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
<p>President Donald Trump has played <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/03/trump-halts-iran-strikes-subject-to-rapidly-making-deal-to-end-war/" target="_blank">this hand</a> before during the five-month-old Iran war.</p> <p>It starts with a grim warning to Tehran that he's on the cusp of ordering US forces to "obliterate" its power plants or seize key parts of its oil industry if its leaders don't quickly agree to US terms to end the war. It ends with him edging away with a last-minute declaration, sometimes at the behest of Gulf allies, that he's going to give diplomacy more time.</p> <p>The hardball strategy — one that Trump honed during his years competing in New York’s real estate scene and has employed in politics — aims to create movement in negotiation through pressure and chaos.
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