While it is unclear what negotiations may – or may not – be happening away from the public eye, Trump and the White House have often accused Iran of saying one thing privately and another publicly.

Back on 7 April, the US president warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if Iran refused to engage in peace talks.

That threat did result in historic face-to-face talks in Pakistan, led by Vice-President JD Vance. However, those negotiations did not result in a deal.

The following month, he again said that he had withheld planned military operations at the behest of regional allies amid “serious negotiations”, which he followed by a promise to hit Iran “very hard”.

In the latter instance, he claimed that positive negotiations with Iranian leaders had prompted the operation to be called off.

At times, the White House has suggested that Iran’s public statements are also aimed at a domestic audience that includes hardline members of the government and the powerful military who are opposed to making concessions to the US.

Any escalation could prove politically tricky for President Trump’s Republican allies.

The Trump administration has been largely dismissive of data showing the war – and its economic impact – are broadly unpopular with Americans, including with many Republicans.

Polls showing widespread dissatisfaction with the handling of the war have prompted alarm among some conservative strategists ahead of the coming November midterms.

One poll, released by Reuters/Ipsos at the end of last week, found that only a third of Americans support the conflict, the lowest total since the war began, with the bulk of respondents pointing to unclear or shifting objectives.

With additional reporting from James Chater, Peter Hoskins, and BBC Verify’s Kayleen Devlin and Becky Dale