The administration appears to be reverting to an all-stick, no-carrot approach. But it has yet to answer why it believes economic warfare and bombing will yield a different result this time.
American officials said they were trying to safeguard maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it had responded by firing at U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
The firings and a resignation render the Election Assistance Commission useless. The moves come as President Trump seeks to impose control over how ballots will be counted in the midterms.