Trump's Tough Talk Toughens Iran’s Resolve (S01E72)

badlands podcast by borzou daragahi · May 20, 2026 · 15m

Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Istanbul

After signaling that the US was again getting ready to resume its military operations against Iran, Trump again backed down.

He said he was convinced to give diplomacy a chance for a few days, but the facts suggest he remains caught in a trap created by a combination of military and geographic reality and his own rhetoric.

On today’s edition of badlands, I discuss how Trump’s tough talk strengthens Iranian hardliners and makes the deal he appears to want even harder to get. Trump, already threatened to annihilate Iran’s civilization, and Tehran refused to…