Behanem Taleblou, the senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said that Donald Trump is looking for the cheapest way to deal with the Islamic Republic by keeping the path of diplomacy open and maintaining the military option. According to him, the mediation efforts of Qatar and other Arab countries may delay the American military attack by a few weeks or months, but they cannot prevent the conflict itself.
Talbello added that the Trump administration continues the policy of maximum pressure and the economic blockade of the Islamic Republic at the same time as the negotiations. He stressed that diplomacy alone is not enough to achieve America's strategic goals, and Washington still has other options.