CNN: Trump's Repeated Emphasis on 'No Rush' May Be a Cover for Inner Pressure

On April 24, CNN reported that Trump is making a concerted effort to convey to two key groups—the Iranian leaders and the American public—that he is the decision-maker in this war. The issue is that neither side may be seriously listening to him. The critical question in this confrontation is which side has enough political will to overcome the other. Trump’s situation is quite difficult, as he has been reiterating different viewpoints about his strategy for weeks, often conflicting with the actual circumstances. Furthermore, his insistence that he is not worried about the timeline of the Iran war may be an attempt to mask the increasing pressure he faces as the conflict continues. There is growing evidence that Iran not only believes it has the upper hand in this war (where it has leveraged geographical advantages to exert asymmetric pressure on the U.S.) but is also willing to pay any price to achieve victory.