The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran is being shaped as much by domestic political pressures as by military strategy, with each party operating under a starkly different sense of urgency. Analysts including University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Columbia economist Jeffrey Sachs argue that Washington faces the most acute time pressure: oil prices have surged past $90 per barrel, inflation is climbing, and President Trump's approval rating on the economy has fallen to 29 percent — just seven months before midterm elections. Tehran's strategy, by contrast, appears to be one of endurance, absorbing military punishment long enough for US domestic support to erode, while Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu — facing his own legal proceedings and upcoming elections — has political incentives to prolong the conflict and has explicitly excluded Lebanon from any ceasefire arrangements.