And, while Malley believes Iran genuinely wants to prevent a war with the United States and is negotiating toward that end, trust was eroded in Trump’s first administration. “I do think that Iran would accept a war if the alternative were what they consider to be capitulation or if they believe that the first concession they make is just an invitation to the next one,” he said. “We were never able to reassure the Iranians back in 2021 that a deal would survive. I don’t know how the Trump administration is going to give them guarantees. I understand that they want a deal. They’re not complacent about a war. I also think that they are deeply mistrustful that any deal—in the American mind—is an alternative to war as opposed to a step towards more demands and then, if they’re not met, a war.”

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