But rather than give up on military action against Iran, Trump simply shifted his rationale. On Jan. 28, he wrote on Truth Social: “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS. … Time is running out.”

So now the threat of military action was to get Iran to make a deal to end its nuclear program — the very same program that Trump claimed to have “obliterated” in U.S. airstrikes last summer. (The White House website still displays a news release calling suggestions otherwise “fake news.”) Trump is now tacitly conceding that the Iranian nuclear program survived after all, and is apparently demanding that Iran finally end all enrichment and give up its remaining stockpile of nuclear material.

Trump has also at various times demanded that Iran surrender its ballistic missiles and end support for proxies in the region. Oh, and he has hinted at regime change as a goal. On Feb. 13, he said a change of government in Tehran “would be the best thing that could happen.”

So what, if anything, can the mullahs do to avoid U.S. airstrikes? Stop repression? Stop their nuclear program? Stop their ballistic missile program? Stop their support for proxies? Or simply stop ruling Iran? If Iranian negotiators are as puzzled as many onlookers, it’s little wonder that talks between Tehran and Washington haven’t gotten very far. Whatever the exact U.S. demands, Iran’s rulers have given little reason to think that they are willing to make sweeping concessions, such as giving up their missile or nuclear programs, even in the face of Trump’s threats.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/23/iran-trump-war-airstrikes/