James Politi

against Iran to try to change the dynamic.

But of course that would come with potentially even greater political costs and economic costs for the White House, which Trump may not be willing to bear.

And he certainly hasn't been willing to go that far in the last few weeks.

A further escalation would significantly raise the stakes.

It would potentially inflame other parts of the Middle East even more than they are now.

It could raise energy prices even more than they are.

And so I think the push for a deal would still be the most palatable scenario.

But certainly it's possible that we remain in limbo for weeks, if not months.