After thirteen straight nights of American airpower pounding Iranian targets, the skies over the region were quiet this weekend — the first stretch since the fighting resumed that the U.S. military did not announce new strikes. To the MAGA base, this isn’t a retreat. It’s exactly the kind of calculated, unsentimental leadership President Trump promised: hit hard, hit often, and then make the adversary sweat over what comes next.

The ceasefire Iran agreed to earlier this month didn’t hold. When it collapsed, Trump didn’t hesitate — American forces went back on the offensive, and they haven’t let up since. Four U.S. service members have been killed in the fighting, including Staff Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, killed in an Iranian strike on a U.S. base in Jordan. Nearly 100 troops have suffered injuries, most of them minor, according to the Pentagon. It’s a reminder that this campaign has a real cost — and to Trump’s supporters, that’s precisely why half-measures were never going to cut it.

Strength First, Diplomacy Second

Trump has been blunt about where things stand. Speaking at the Correspondents’ Dinner, he said the U.S. has “hit Iran very hard,” claiming Tehran’s navy and air force capabilities have been gutted and that its drone stockpiles are running thin. He said he believes Iran is “getting more serious” about a deal — but added he isn’t convinced they’re ready yet. “I don’t think it’s time yet, but I’m willing to listen,” he said.

That’s the balance Trump’s allies say defines his approach: overwhelming force paired with a standing invitation to negotiate, on American terms, whenever Tehran is prepared to be serious. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced that message this week, telling reporters Iran is under far more internal strain than is publicly known — pointing to a worsening economic crisis and heavy damage to its military infrastructure.

Iranian officials, for their part, are sending mixed signals. One senior Iranian military figure over the weekend contradicted Trump’s optimism about talks and even dared the U.S. to attempt a ground invasion — bluster that Trump’s supporters say only proves the sanctions and strikes are landing.

The Squeeze at Sea

The economic pressure is real and it’s global. Oil has climbed past $100 a barrel and gas at the pump is ticking back up here at home, now averaging $4.11 a gallon. Part of that is the chaos Iran and its proxies have unleashed on shipping lanes: Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have been attacking Saudi vessels in the Red Sea, trying to choke the Bab al-Mandab strait even as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to normal traffic. Trump has warned Tehran directly that every attack on a ship in the Strait will be met with a strike on Iranian infrastructure — bridges, power plants, and if necessary, targets near Tehran itself.

Yet even amid the pressure, there are cracks of diplomacy. Iranian and Omani officials met in Tehran this weekend to discuss safe passage through Hormuz, and Omani mediators have been shuttling proposals back and forth. Whether that goes anywhere depends, as always, on whether Iran’s leadership decides the cost of defiance has finally outweighed the cost of coming to the table.

Washington’s Next Move

All eyes now turn to this week’s summit between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed during Trump’s remarks Friday. The two leaders are expected to align on next steps as the U.S. weighs whether the pause becomes an opening for real talks — or a brief intermission before the bombing resumes. A U.S. official close to the matter described it simply: Trump is giving the talks “some space” to develop.

For Trump’s supporters, that’s the throughline of the whole campaign. He doesn’t chase a deal out of desperation, and he doesn’t pretend restraint is weakness. Pressure comes first — military, economic, diplomatic, all at once — and the offer to negotiate is always on the table, but never at the cost of an American win.

Whether that “some space” turns into a lasting deal or another round of strikes is still an open question. Tehran has until the President decides otherwise to make up its mind.