Iran is digging in for another round of fighting instead of negotiating, and Washington's decision on what to do next looks stuck until Israel's elections are over — bad news for anyone hoping for a quick deal.

• Iran is preparing for war rather than joining peace talks, which it sees as the rational move after being attacked first.
• Tehran's position is that it will not agree to anything, treating the current diplomacy as theater.
• Trump has pointed to Israel's upcoming elections as a reason to wait, effectively putting US policy on hold.
• That delay is drawing sharp criticism inside the US, where Netanyahu is seen as taking American backing without giving anything back.
• The bigger complaint is that US media and politicians follow Israel's lead on Iran at the expense of American interests.

Outlook: Expect no real progress with Iran until after the Israeli vote, with the risk of renewed fighting rising in the meantime.