According to reports, US President Donald Trump has been hoping for positive developments between the US and Iran for several weeks, but there has been little success. On Tuesday, he appears to have switched to a new strategy, according to a US official. Trump directed senior administration envoys to stop talks with Iran. Also, according to familiar sources, White House officials recently told political allies that the US side is adjusting its strategy: from “hitting Iran hard as soon as possible” to “containing Iran” in the long term. Since the cease-fire agreement signed in June broke down, Trump has repeatedly claimed to the outside world that negotiations are progressing smoothly and that a new agreement is within easy reach. Now, instead of claiming that negotiations are progressing for the better, he has announced that there have been no diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran at all.

According to reports, US President Donald Trump has been hoping for positive developments between the US and Iran for several weeks, but there has been little success. On Tuesday, he appears to have switched to a new strategy, according to a US official. Trump directed senior administration envoys to stop talks with Iran. Also, according to familiar sources, White House officials recently told political allies that the US side is adjusting its strategy: from “hitting Iran hard as soon as possible” to “containing Iran” in the long term. Since the cease-fire agreement signed in June broke down, Trump has repeatedly claimed to the outside world that negotiations are progressing smoothly and that a new agreement is within easy reach. Now, instead of claiming that negotiations are progressing for the better, he has announced that there have been no diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran at all.