Trump Delays Strikes To Maximize Strategic Optionality

• Two days after implicitly threatening Iran and its leadership by publicly stating that Ayatollah Khomeini’s whereabouts are known to the United States, Donald Trump is now ostensibly pivoting to give diplomacy one last chance, by instituting a two-week window before making a definitive decision regarding military action against Iran.

• However, the stated two-week period itself should be viewed with skepticism

• Trump’s decisions are historically fluid, influenced by shifting circumstances and his personal impulses.

• This timeframe might be altered within days or even hours depending on developments.

• Strategically however, Trump’s establishment of a two-week timeline is astute, fulfilling multiple key objectives: