Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., questioned Trump's claim that "the U.S. airstrikes of the past two weeks have forced Iran back to the negotiating table." Vatanka stated that he doesn't believe Iran will concede simply because of U.S. military strikes. Iran has consistently conveyed to the Trump administration that time is on their side, and that Iran can withstand more pain than the U.S. So, bring it on. This is a risky move for Iran, but it has been their strategy in recent weeks, and no major changes have been seen so far.
Vatanka added that U.S. officials and sources in Washington are instead discussing the effectiveness of the continued airstrikes against Iran, with most believing that the strikes are no longer effective.
They believe this ceasefire is more of a proactive move by the U.S. to see if they can give diplomacy another chance.
