The war in Iran has shifted

Our goal is no longer "a deal" but rather elimination of the IRGC threat.

An actual "deal" was probably always folly, but the man who literally "wrote the book" on dealmaking was always bound to give the idea the old college try. This turned out about as well as negotiating with terrorists generally does. Give them an inch and they ask for two and then take three, then four, and will basically keep going until you kill them.

Now things have shifted to the degree that other gulf nations are now asking the US to "eliminate the threat" that Iran poses to the region and tying certain deals, projects and alliances to this guarantee. Within two years they say that the Strait of Hormuz will no longer be needed to move oil and other resources out of the area. Obviously a militarized Iran will do everything in their power to prevent that, including blowing up pipelines and other infrastructure designed to restructure their supply chain movement. They have already asked Houthis to attack ships that are going through the red sea to avoid Hormuz. Whether or not Houthis wants to take that risk or not is unclear at the moment, but what is clear is that the IRGC is pushing that pretty hard. How long can they continue to do this without serious problems with their neighbors is another thing. Obviously the age old "Muslim nations must unite" nonsense is not working as planned for Iran. Even other Muslims do not like being held hostage and attacked because the IRGC wants to control the region.

I believe that between the blockade being back in place and the current attacks on the Iranian infrastructure that assists with their military, this is just a matter of time. If we provide the green light for Israel and other nations to attack the Iranian terror groups at the same time, we will see a slow burn shock and awe sort of deal taking place. IRGC and the Supreme leadership cannot hang on forever under these circumstance. The only question was whether or not it was wise to have given them the reprieve for the few weeks that we did. Perhaps in the end, it provided further proof of what we all know to be true. The Iranians cannot be trusted in any negotiations or in any deals. They just need to be eliminated.