Trump boils over after Tehran kept him waiting (axios.com)

The trigger for President Trump's strikes on Iran was the downing of a U.S. helicopter, but behind the scenes Trump had been growing more and more frustrated over nearly two weeks of waiting for an Iranian response to his latest offer that still has not arrived. Why it matters: The strikes on Tuesday evening were intended to restore some leverage, but be calibrated such that no one would be killed and the possibility of a deal would not be foreclosed, a senior U.S. official told Axios. At the same time, Qatari mediators were holding talks in Tehran in hopes of getting the negotiations back on track and closing the remaining gaps. As the Qataris and Iranians met on Wednesday, Trump made new threats. "We're going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, because you don't turn on your television set, and we'll see what happens with the deal." Trump said Iran had been "playing us for suckers" and "tapping us along" in talks. Iran's president countered that Trump's threats showed not strength, but "desperation." State of play: Trump's envoys and the regional mediators are still working to patch together a deal, but the president's latest comments may signal his patience has run out. Trump strikes after helicopter crash The U.S. still had not determined whether Iran intentionally brought down the helicopter when Trump decided to order a kinetic response. Two senior White House officials told Axios that even if the crash between the U.S. Apache and an Iranian drone was accidental, the U.S. had to respond to show it didn't accept Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz. "If we didn't respond, it would have made us look weak and also negatively influenced our position in the negotiations with Iran," one of the officials said. But both officials made it clear the U.S. saw its strikes as "proportionate and surgical." They targeted radar and drone control systems while avoiding Iranian casualties. Several hours before the U.S. strikes, the White House tried once more to get clear answers from the Iranians about Trump's latest proposal, without success. A U.S. official said the White House made it clear to the Iranians that "time was running out." The Iranians said they didn't have an answer yet and warned they would respond to any U.S. attack. Iran ultimately did respond, but in a limited way. Around 5pm ET on Tuesday, when the U.S. fighter jets were on their way, the White House sent messages to the Iranians that they would only target military facilities. "We told the Iranians that if the pilots were killed we would have been in a whole different place today," a U.S. official said. Tehran Keeps Trump waiting Trump may well have concluded an initial agreement with Iran late last month if he accepted the terms his envoys had negotiated. Instead, he decided after a May 29 Situation Room meeting to send the Iranians a request for two amendments to the draft memorandum of understanding to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's requests were