Trump is facing an increasingly patient Iran

Iran warTrump is facing an increasingly patient Iran The war may have benefitted Iran’s regime politically, at least for the moment, despite the assassinations of senior figures and heavy U.S.-Israeli bombing, sources tell NBC NewsListen to this article with a free account00:0000:00President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.Alex Brandon / APShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 23, 2026, 6:19 PM EDTBy Dan De Luce, Monica Alba, Abigail Williams and Colleen LongPresident Donald Trump has pushed to bring the war with Iran to a speedy end: He stepped up bombing raids. He threatened to wipe out infrastructure. He has attempted diplomacy and ordered a naval blockade. But Tehran is in no rush to cut a deal.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Despite the assassinations of its leaders and the damage to an array of military sites, Iran’s regime seems to have benefitted politically from the attacks started by the U.S. and Israel, according to a Western diplomat with knowledge of the conflict and five Western officials, all with knowledge of intelligence assessments on Iran. The regime is, improbably, more stable now than before the war and slightly more hard line, five of the officials said. The mass anti-government protests that rocked the country in the weeks before the war have, at this time, receded. The so-called moderate or reformist faction inside the regime has been marginalized, because heavy U.S. bombing and Trump’s frequent ultimatums have undermined their arguments that a more accommodating approach with Washington could produce benefits, five of the officials said.In the U.S., the political costs are mounting; the midterms are drawing near, a critical meeting between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping is on the horizon, and gas prices are rising. According to new polling, majorities of voters disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran. “The Iranians don’t seem to be in a rush to negotiate,” one o...