Iran’s Khameini will try to run down the nuclear clock

“The supreme leader is far cleverer than Trump, he won’t be lured into a war,” I’m told by a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). But don’t take this Khamenei devotee’s confidence at face value. The IRGC zealots may believe that the ageing Ayatollah can outwit Trump, but in reality Khamenei is gambling with a very weak hand. The next seven months will see the Ayatollah walk a tightrope in an attempt to run down the clock, prevent the erosion of the hard base and, most importantly, avert a military attack from Trump.