Washington Post: “A confidential CIA analysis delivered to administration policymakers this week concludes that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four months before facing more severe economic hardship, four people familiar with the document said, a finding that appears to raise new questions about President Donald Trump’s optimism on ending the war.”

“The analysis by the U.S. intelligence community, whose secret assessments on Iran have often been more sober than the administration’s public statements, also found that Tehran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities despite weeks of intense U.S. and Israeli bombardment, three of the people familiar with it said.”

NOTUS: “Business and political leaders are bracing for another Trump administration-style trade showdown as efforts stumble to renegotiate the trade agreement among the United States, Mexico and Canada.”

“U.S. discussions are continuing with Mexico, but America has iced out Canada in the trade talks with less than two months until the countries must agree to extend the agreement or trigger annual revisions.”

Stephen Collinson: “Trump is ensnared by two traps of his own making — one geopolitical and the other domestic. Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz and refusal to fold mean he can’t definitively end the war at an acceptable military price.”

“And as the conflict drags on, its political impact at home further narrows his options. With an approval rating in the 30s, gas prices averaging over $4.50 a gallon and public opposition to the war rising, he’s got no political space to continue waging it.”

“So Trump is stuck — a reality that helps explain his incessantly upbeat claims of progress in peace talks and tendency to announce or change military strategies with no warning.”

Bloomberg: “The US is waiting on Iran to respond to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end a war that’s killed thousands of people, with tensions still high in both the Persian Gulf and in Lebanon.”

“Iran’s leaders are yet to indicate whether they’ll accept the terms of the deal, though they’ve previously shown little sign of yielding on their nuclear program and accepting a moratorium on enriching uranium, which the US is calling for.”

Bloomberg: “Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a rare public account of interactions with the country’s head of state who’s been in hiding since the start of the war with the US and Israel.”