President Donald Trump, fresh from meeting China’s leader Xi Jinping, is weighing a restart of military action against Iran while preparing to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; regional intelligence suggests Tehran is buying time with a “strategy of ‘deception and delay’,” and signs of economic pain and fuel shortages are emerging inside Iran as a U.S.-led blockade bites.
Trump’s recent face-to-face with Xi sharpened attention on U.S. leverage in the region and put Iran squarely back on the agenda. The president is still at the White House and has no public events listed for Sunday, but the decision-making is happening behind closed doors. This is a moment that rewards clarity and strength, and that is the posture being signaled.
“Our eyes are also open regarding Iran,” Netanyahu said Sunday morning, as translated from Hebrew. “I will speak today, as I do every few days, with our friend President Trump. I will certainly hear impressions from his trip to China, and perhaps other matters as well. There are certainly many possibilities, and we are prepared for every scenario.”
Israeli leaders are clearly coordinating closely with Washington, and that steady line of communication matters when brinkmanship is on the table. Trump and Netanyahu both know that signaling resolve can change an adversary’s calculations without firing a shot. At the same time, the administration is weighing real options that could be put into motion quickly if diplomacy and pressure do not work.
“The prevailing assessment inside Iran is that President Trump may resort to restarting military action, and Tehran is now deliberately pursuing a ‘strategy of ‘deception and delay” with the hopes that buying time will complicate any potential return to war,” two regional intelligence officials told Fox News.
That assessment suggests Tehran thinks it can stretch the crisis out and outmaneuver U.S. resolve, hoping for international distractions like the World Cup or milestone dates such as America’s 250th anniversary. Intelligence warns the regime expects to drag things beyond the immediate window, making a clean restart of operations more politically and logistically tricky for the U.S. So the White House is watching timelines and signals closely.
Inside Iran, the economic squeeze from tighter sanctions and a de facto blockade is starting to show in everyday life. Long lines at gas stations and distribution hiccups are being reported, and rising prices and higher unemployment are fueling public discontent. “It’s getting exponentially worse,” the official added, and that kind of domestic strain can affect Tehran’s calculations faster than foreign pressure alone.
For Republicans and those who favor a tough stance, this moment is about not letting Iran normalize aggression or nuclear ambitions through delay tactics. The case being made inside Washington is that a credible threat of action, paired with economic pressure, preserves options and deters further escalation. Critics who push for endless negotiations without consequences risk empowering Tehran’s stalling strategy.
Markets are already reacting to the risk of conflict and disruptions to oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, and leaders in allied capitals are taking note. Any decision to strike would be measured, with operational and political factors in play, but the administration is signaling it will not be caught flat-footed. As the president consults with partners and weighs the intelligence, the emphasis from this side is clear: maintain pressure, keep options ready, and protect American interests and allies.
