According to Alastair Crooke, Trump is reportedly furious that the 60-day MoU expired without forcing Iran to capitulate.
The most alarming part? He has again discussed the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons against Iran, while Pentagon official Elbridge Colby has reportedly argued that conventional military failure could justify their use.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is preparing what he calls
“the mother and father of all sanctions.”
But there is a problem: Iran is proving far more resilient than Washington expected.
Its economy is adapting, inflation has slowed, the stock market has surged, and trade routes through Pakistan and the Caspian remain open.
Trying to crush Iran through Chinese refiners could also backfire badly—bringing Washington into direct economic confrontation with Beijing and accelerating the move away from the dollar.
The harder Washington pushes for capitulation, the greater the risk that it creates the opposite: a stronger Iran and a weaker dollar.