Carys Garland is pleased to welcome Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security within the Int'l Security Dept at RUSI. Dr. Ozcelik argues that Iran is simultaneously responding to external pressures: particularly the performative diplomacy of the Trump administration while safeguarding core sovereign priorities, including its nuclear program and regional influence. What may appear as inconsistency is, in fact, a dual strategy: rhetorical escalation paired with cautious pragmatism. Iran and the US are navigating mounting economic and geopolitical constraints.