Donald Trump was done negotiating.
For weeks he assembled an armada of carriers and destroyers in the waters of the Middle East, bolstered by fleets of F-35 and F-22 jets dispatched to allied bases around the region. It was the largest U.S. buildup since the 2003 Iraq war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Trump’s goal was to pressure Iran’s rulers to do what they have resisted for decades: give up their nuclear and long-range missile programs and stop supporting its armed proxies. He said he preferred a diplomatic solution with Tehran, but the buildup continued.
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