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.

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. "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. Two U.S. officials said they hoped Tuesday's strikes would help in getting the Iranians to move and respond to Trump's proposal, and that Trump's threats were part of the same effort. "The deal is still on the table, but the president is ready to make the Iranians pay a price if they continue to delay and drag their feet," a U.S. official said.