Eurointelligence: “The notion that intensified pressure on civilian infrastructure will force Iran to concede fundamentally underestimates the regime’s tolerance for damage.”

“Repeated instances where diplomatic efforts occurred in the shadow of U.S. attacks have only strengthened hardline arguments that the U.S. cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith, narrowing the space for compromise.”

“Also, the regime’s instinct for symmetry means retaliation on similar targets would be near certain – an approach that already visible in the wake of Karaj bridge attack, when Iranian state media quickly released a list of bridges in Arab countries and Israel as potential targets for future strikes.”

President Trump threatened to wipe out the entirety of Iranian civilization if Tehran doesn’t cede to his demands by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Said Trump: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

Axios: “Trump might be the most hawkish person in the top echelons of his administration on Iran, according to a U.S. source who spoke to him several times in recent days.”

Said one U.S. official: “The president is the most bloodthirsty, like a mad dog.”

“Trump has started sounding out advisers and confidants about the plan to strike power plants and bridges by asking them, ‘What do you think of Infrastructure Day?'”

Wall Street Journal: “As President Trump threatens a major escalation in Iran by a Tuesday night deadline, the Republican-led Congress is out of the picture. Lawmakers are on a holiday recess, and won’t return to Washington until next week.”

“But some Republican lawmakers have set a deadline of their own that is approaching at the end of this month: They say federal law requires the president to seek approval from Congress if military operations in Iran last longer than 60 to 90 days.”