President Trump has been signaling that diplomacy takes priority in his determined efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He stopped short of striking the Islamic Republic and gave his emissaries wide latitude to elicit concessions, but the other option remains in the background through aircraft carrier task forces and an aerial armada. The next move on the chess board is now Iran’s, but if it tries to stall or outsmart Trump it may find itself paying dearly and regretting its tactics.

