Six months into President Donald Trump's war against Iran, a week of intense diplomacy and renewed military threats has highlighted the increasingly difficult choices confronting the White House as it searches for an exit from a conflict that Trump once predicted would last only weeks.
The president now faces three increasingly unattractive options. He could accept an emerging interim agreement between Iran and Oman that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while giving Tehran an unprecedented supervisory role over one of the world's most critical shipping lanes.
He could escalate the conflict with another round of military strikes, risking a deeper and potentially longer war. Or he could maintain the current stalemate, prolonging a conflict that has become politically costly at home.
Analysts say each path carries significant military, diplomatic and political risks, leaving Trump with few opportunities to claim a clear victory before November's midterm elections.
The proposed Iran-Oman agreement would mark Tehran's biggest diplomatic gain since the United States and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 28.
