Talks, ceasefire in peril as Trump grapples with Iran’s new sheriffs in town

April 20, 2026 — 5:53am

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Of all Donald Trump’s instincts, perhaps his keenest is leverage. He knows how to use the power gifted to him – whether it be America’s economic size or military strength – to heap pressure on friends and adversaries.

The military campaign in Iran has been about maximising leverage ahead of a deal: essentially, bombing them into submission, and then negotiating with whoever’s left.

Trump entertained the idea of regime change. He told the Iranian people that when the bombs stopped falling, Tehran would be theirs for the taking. But that quickly morphed into an assertion that the regime had already changed because strikes had killed so many former leaders.

The new people, Trump said repeatedly, were much more moderate, more reasonable, “sharper” and “smarter”. They were the type of people he could cut a deal with.

Now, amid a strained ceasefire agreement and confusion in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump is learning that with Iran, it’s not quite that simple.

In Islamabad, Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and........

© Brisbane Times