Shortly before Donald Trump’s inauguration, however, the flag was quietly removed. There was no official explanation from Iranian officials. But the move captured a quiet shift in Tehran’s thinking, in what is shaping up to be its most consequential year since the 1980s Iran-Iraq war: with the country at its most vulnerable point in years,

Iran is closely watching how the new Trump administration may handle Iran policy. While Iran may have expected a “maximum pressure” campaign from Washington to return, the way it had existed during the first administration.