Trump highlights war talks amid mounting domestic backlash

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump’s decision to place military options against Iran back on the table follows widening political divisions at home, where Democrats increasingly frame the confrontation as economically damaging, strategically inconsistent and politically risky. The negotiations with Tehran have stalled over Iran’s demand for reciprocal recognition, while the White House is intensifying diplomatic pressure and escalating war rhetoric — a combination that may further constrain efforts to secure a peace agreement in the weeks ahead. According to Axios, Trump hardened his rhetoric after expressing frustration with Tehran’s latest response to a US peace proposal, which he reportedly described as “totally unacceptable.” In a phone interview with Axios, the president warned that “the clock is ticking” and threatened that Iran would be “hit much harder” if it failed to revise its position. “We want to make a deal. They are not where we want them to be,” Trump said. “They will have to get there, or they will be hit badly.” The tougher posture reflects a White House increasingly balancing two competing imperatives: projecting deterrence abroad while containing growing scepticism at home over the costs and objectives of a prolonged confrontation with Iran. Axios also reported that Trump plans to convene a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday with senior national security officials — including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and special envoy Steve Witkoff — to review military contingencies if diplomacy collapses entirely. He is also believed to have consulted some of them on Sunday. Trump’s parallel consultations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu further underscore Israel’s continuing influence over Washington’s calculations regarding Iran. Yet while the administration intensifies military signalling, the domestic political backlash is becoming increasingly visible. Congressional Democ