Iran Loath to Be Drawn Into New Clash With US as Trump Returns
- Tehran and Washington may focus on stabilizing relationship
- Iran-backed militant groups are at war with US ally Israel
Donald Trump
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The last time Donald Trump was US president it spelled disaster for Iran — he walked away from a landmark nuclear deal, derailed the country’s economy with sanctions and killed its most revered general.
This time around, the signals from the Trump camp are more mixed. The president-elect has suggested he wants to stabilize the relationship, yet he and some of his Cabinet nominees have also called for Israel to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities and return to the “maximum pressure” campaign of his first term.