"What I hear from Iranians is: He's going to do a TACO," said a European diplomat in contact with Iran's leaders, using an acronym, popularized by a Financial Times column, for "Trump Always Chickens Out," used initially in reference to a pattern of imposing harsh tariffs before easing them."
"The targeted raid could well have reinforced the idea among some Iranian leaders that they can wait Trump out because they think he has the appetite only for short, surgical operations, according to an Iranian official and current and former Western officials with knowledge of the matter."
"They think he likes his diplomacy and his wars like a fast-food drive-through. Quick tasks. After the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear program last year and the Venezuela raid in January, he said many in Iran's leadership believe further U.S. attacks are inevitable but will remain limited."
Trump has threatened military action against Iran while demanding nuclear negotiations, warning of "bad things" if Iranian negotiators refuse a deal and pledging Iran will never obtain nuclear weapons. A U.S. military buildup continues in the region. The January raid targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro demonstrated Trump's willingness to deploy military force, but Iranian officials and Western diplomats report that Iran's leadership interprets this as evidence Trump prefers brief, surgical operations rather than sustained military campaigns. Many Iranian leaders believe further U.S. attacks are inevitable but will remain limited in scope. This perception, summarized by diplomats as "TACO" (Trump Always Chickens Out), suggests Iran's leadership may be willing to wait out Trump's threats, viewing his approach to both diplomacy and military action as quick, transactional engagements.
#iran-nuclear-negotiations #trump-military-strategy #us-iran-tensions #diplomatic-brinkmanship #regional-military-buildup
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