Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington last week was far from a routine diplomatic exercise. The objective was straightforward: convince President Donald Trump to intensify pressure on Iran. Netanyahu’s demands were unambiguous and uncompromising: Iran must be stripped of its nuclear program, the missile production plants must be dismantled, and the number and range of hypersonic missiles must be capped. For Israel, the Iranian missiles are an existential threat.

But Trump has also been unambiguous in his response. “Either we reach a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough,” he said in a statement to Israeli Channel 12. The attempt was to sound tough, but in the process, the President has also placed himself in a tight spot. Iran has not hesitated to call the President’s bluff. While agreeing to consider lowering the level of uranium enrichment, Iran drew a red line around the missile program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was very clear and blunt. The Iranian ballistic missile program was “never negotiable,” he said following the talks in Oman. “For talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include the range of their ballistic missiles, their sponsorship of terror organizations, and the treatment of their own people,” chimed in Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

The Pentagon’s deployment of a second carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, intensified regional tensions, leaving analysts to debate whether the move was a strategic show of force to intimidate Iran or a tactical preparation for an imminent strike. Trump’s announcement of this deployment came after he met with Netanyahu, reinforcing his commitment to a diplomatic solution with Iran, even as he deployed additional military assets into position. The RAND Corporation and CSIS experts point out that carrier deployments often serve as a demonstration of force that often leads to action, as miscalculations come into play.

READ: Iran’s top general warns new war will be ‘lesson’ for Trump ahead of next round of talks

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