Trump is facing an increasingly patient Iran

Trump is facing an increasingly patient Iran as the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz continues

President Donald Trump has pushed to bring the war with Iran to a speedy end: He stepped up bombing raids. He threatened to wipe out infrastructure. He has attempted diplomacy and ordered a naval blockade. But Tehran is in no rush to cut a deal.

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Despite the assassinations of its leaders and the damage to an array of military sites, Iran’s regime seems to have benefitted politically from the attacks started by the U.S. and Israel, according to a Western diplomat with knowledge of the conflict and five Western officials, all with knowledge of intelligence assessments on Iran. The regime is, improbably, more stable now than before the war and slightly more hard line, five of the officials said.

The mass anti-government protests that rocked the country in the weeks before the war have, at this time, receded. The so-called moderate or reformist faction inside the regime has been marginalized, because heavy U.S. bombing and Trump’s frequent ultimatums have undermined their arguments that a more accommodating approach with Washington could produce benefits, five of the officials said.