"The U.S. and Iran have had off-and-on talks about striking a nuclear deal for months. Successive U.S. administrations have vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Former President Obama struck a deal in 2015 aimed at doing just that, but Trump abandoned it during his first term in favor of a "maximum pressure" approach. Former President Biden was unable to negotiate a new agreement. Trump returned to office also wanting a deal."
"Trump came close to striking Iran in early January over the killings of thousands of protesters by the Iranian regime. The protests emerged over economic grievances, with some protesters demanding regime change. Trump threatened to hit Iran if they killed protesters. "We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he said. Security forces cracked down hard, with many reports putting the death toll in the thousands. The regime also blocked internet access to its citizens and closed its airspace."
U.S.-Iran tensions center on a long-running nuclear dispute with intermittent talks aimed at a deal, following the 2015 agreement that Trump abandoned and unsuccessful negotiations under Biden. Trump has expressed a desire for a new nuclear deal while some allies and rhetoric have signaled interest in regime change, which could expand military objectives beyond nuclear sites. Mass protests in Iran led to a severe security crackdown with reports of thousands killed, prompting U.S. threats of strikes that were delayed partly by limited U.S. military assets in the region. Any conflict could unfold as a broad military campaign with major Middle East consequences, though diplomacy still holds a chance.
Read at Axios
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