Standing down: How Trump decided that not striking back was his best option on Iran

America's top diplomat on Iran was only a few minutes into a speech on Tuesday afternoon when he was handed an urgent note.

Brian Hook, the special representative for Iran, was in Los Angeles to talk about US policy toward Iran. But by the time he stepped to the podium, he was already more than an hour late, having spent much of the day on a secure line speaking to US officials in Washington including his boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

And now, he had to leave.

"The peoples...