India, Jan. 27 -- The US and Iran are once again at the centre of rising global tension after President Donald Trump made a surprising claim that Tehran wants to negotiate, even as American warships move closer to Iranian waters.

The mixed signals, military pressure paired with talk of diplomacy, have triggered confusion, speculation, and concern across West Asia. With protests raging inside Iran and US reinforcing its naval presence, Trump's latest remarks raise a key question, and that is, Is the US preparing for conflict, or using force as leverage to restart talks?

US President Donald Trump has once again shifted the tone of US's Iran policy. Even as American warships move closer to West Asia, Trump insists that diplomacy, not confl...