TOI correspondent from Washington: Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation,” US President Donald Trump said in January 2020 during his first term. It is a line that may be returning to haunt his second term administration.
After weeks of military escalation against Iran alongside Israel, a chastened Trump now appears to be scrambling toward a deal that falls significantly short of the maximalist goals proclaimed at the start of the conflict: no “complete and total surrender” by Iran, no regime collapse in Tehran, no verified dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and no surrender of all highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
