The State of the Union address by President Donald Trump was very Iran-centric, carrying direct threats but no real deadlines. However, ahead of the third round of talks in Geneva U.S. President Donald Trump makes a strong case for invasion of Iran. Many think he has done little to explain to the American public as to why he might be leading the US into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

If Iran–U.S. diplomacy was to be stated in one line, it would be: a lot of direct threats and indirect talks. In the backdrop, the world sees the U.S. building up its largest military presence of American warships and aircraft in decades in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq — this time, the focus is Iran.

The year 2026 saw both military threats and new diplomatic engagement between the two countries. Iran is at its weakest in decades. Its carefully crafted ‘Axis of Resistance’, which kept war away from its doorsteps, has significantly weakened since 2024, by Israeli design aimed at eventually compelling Iran to submit to its demands, including regime change. The crippling economic sanctions have started taking their toll. Domestic unrest had been brewing for some time, but it has become more aggressive and overt since December 2025.

Many analysts say it is not entirely indigenous. Both foreign funding and arms have exacerbated the situation. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that “the same people that struck this country” during Israel’s 12-day war last June were now “trying to escalate these unrests with regard to the economic discussion; they have trained some people inside and outside the country and have brought in some terrorists from outside.” A harsh crackdown by the Iranian administration added........

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