I’m confused by those who say Iran will not engage in negotiations because they have leverage. What else is leverage for? Right now, Trump will pay to get the strait reopened, hence the US putting sanctions relief right on the table. But there is a limit to what he can pay. If Iran tries to extract a pound of flesh in the form of an over loss us credibility, then Trump will find accepting the deep economic costs of of an extended closure of the straight, likely blockaded to Iranian oil as well, as his least bad option. Once that decision is made, Iran’s leverage dissipates, and they find themselves fighting the entire world, with no hope of ever exiting the status of a pariah regime. Alternatively, a deal with Trump, even an imperfect one from Iran‘s perspective, provides the regime with an imprimatur of international respectability, not to mention access to desperately needed hard currency.