With global energy prices up and his job approval ratings down, Donald Trump faces stark choices after a month of war against Iran: cut a potentially flawed deal and get out, or escalate militarily and risk a prolonged conflict that could consume his presidency.

Despite a flurry of diplomatic activity, Trump ends another week of the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign struggling to contain a widening Middle East crisis as a defiant Iran ‌maintains a chokehold on Gulf oil and gas shipments and continues missile and drone strikes across the region.

The central question now, say analysts, is whether Trump is ready to wind down or ramp up what critics have called a war of choice, one that has ignited the worst global energy supply shock in history and spread far beyond the region.

Trump has told aides he wants to avoid a “forever war” and find a negotiated exit, urging them to stress the four-to-six-week duration of hostilities he has outlined publicly, a senior White House official said, adding that such a timeline appears “shaky.”

At the same time, Trump ‌has threatened a major military escalation if talks fail.

Trump’s diplomatic overtures to Iran, including a 15-point peace proposal sent via a backchannel with Pakistan, appeared to demonstrate an increasingly urgent search ⁠for an off-ramp. But it remains unclear whether there are currently any realistic prospects for fruitful negotiations.

“President Trump has poor options all around to end the war,” said Jonathan Panikoff, former U.S. deputy ⁠national intelligence officer for the Middle East. “Part of the challenge ⁠is the lack of clarity related to what a satisfactory outcome would be.”

A White House official insisted that the Iran campaign "will conclude when the commander-in-chief determines that our objectives are met" and that Trump had laid out explicit goals.

STRUGGLING TO CONTAIN EXPANDING WAR

Apparently ‌hedging his bets, Trump is deploying thousands more U.S. troops to the region and warning Iran of an intensified onslaught, possibly including the use of ground troops, if it does not yield to his demands.

Analysts say such a show of force could be aimed ⁠at creating leverage for........

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