US Officials: Trump Patient on Iran Standoff, Focus on Strait of Hormuz

According to The Wall Street Journal, US officials say President Donald Trump is prepared to wait out the diplomatic standoff with Iran, especially while gasoline prices remain at current levels. A White House official insists the US has achieved all military objectives against Iran. Trump's focus now is the free flow of world energy through the Strait of Hormuz; Washington will keep military options if Iran again attacks shipping. On the nuclear file, officials say Trump recently told senior aides that US forces destroyed three key Iranian nuclear facilities last year, and Iran may not restart nuclear work during his term. Trump has said at recent meetings that intelligence would detect any attempt to rebuild nuclear sites or produce a bomb in secret, and he sees the threat of more US strikes as a lasting deterrent. If the nuclear program is contained and the strait reopens, Trump is more likely to extend the ceasefire indefinitely. If Iran fully reopens the strait, he is expected to lift the US military blockade of Iranian ports.