Israel sent Iran a strategic message this morning: we act independently.
President Trump might have told Israel not to act in several interviews, but in the end Israel did what it believed it needed to. While this appears to defy Trump, it could just as easily have been coordinated - America stays out of this round, but Iran learns that Israel is prepared to act with or without the US.
And that message matters because Iran had been playing America for a fool. It dragged out the talks while continuing to destabilize the region - attacking the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait (remember the attack on Kuwait’s airport a few days ago?).
Then came yesterday’s missile attack on Israel. Beyond the immediate threat, it carried a message that Iran still believed it could dictate the rules of the game all over the Middle East including in Lebanon.
This was not a regime acting like it was about to make a deal or wanted to compromise. It was acting like a regime that believed it was immune and that Trump was so desperate for a deal, that he would do anything to avoid a new round of fighting.
This morning, it learned a different lesson.