<p>The United States appeared poised for a major military confrontation with Iran after Donald Trump ordered a powerful naval force into the region in response to the killing of thousands of Iranian protesters.&nbsp;</p><br><p>The expected strikes never came. Instead, Washington has shifted towards using military pressure as leverage for a renewed nuclear deal.</p><br><p>Does this mark a genuine de-escalation? Or is it merely a pause before conflict? As diplomacy falters, tensions remain high and, inside Iran, the regime faces deepening political fractures as internet blackouts lift and grim details of last month’s massacres begin to emerge.</p><br><p>Roland is joined by The Telegraph’s Akhtar Makoii and Sascha Bruchmann from the International Institute For Strategic Studies.</p><br><p>Producer: Peter Shevlin</p><p>Executive Producer: Louisa Wells</p><br><p>► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor</p><br><p>Contact us with feedback or ideas:</p><p>[email protected]&nbsp;</p><p>@venetiarainey</p><p>@RolandOliphant</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>