Trump faces slew of ‘bad options’ on Iran as diplomacy falters

Optimism surrounding another set of peace proposals aimed at shaping a peace deal between Iran and the United States quickly faded this week as the two sides appeared to instead pull further apart, digging in and insisting that the other compromise for negotiations to resume. US President Donald Trump has said that the already fragile ceasefire with Iran, in place since April 8, is now on “life support”, and members of his administration have increasingly hinted that the US could resume fighting. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list But analysts say for all of Trump’s bluster on Truth Social, his preferred megaphone, the US president is now trapped between escalation and concession, with the region increasingly stuck in a grey zone of neither peace nor war. A resumption of hostilities remains possible, but the war is unpopular among Americans and could weigh heavily on Republicans ahead of crucial midterm elections. Yet extricating the US from the conflict and securing a deal may require Trump to concede ground to Tehran – either on its nuclear programme or over Iran’s role in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global energy exports passes. “The White House is left with a set of bad options,” said Allison Minor, a former official at the US State Department and National Security Council, and currently a director at the Atlantic Council’s Project for Middle East Integration. …