They are described as "the preferred option" to change a state's behavior before using military force. The reimposition of economic sanctions against Iran, as part of the United States' "maximum pressure policy," marked Donald Trump's dramatic return to the White House in January. The letter from the American president calling for negotiations with Tehran was delivered on Wednesday to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi via an Emirati intermediary. Washington's goal was clear: To force Iran to negotiate an end to its nuclear program, as American officials believed the country would need only a few weeks to build a nuclear bomb.Beyond strengthening sanctions targeting the Iranian oil sector, in effect since the president's first term, Washington imposed a new series of measures intended to...