President Donald Trump’s begrudging decision to relaunch attacks on Iran will not preclude him from seeking a diplomatic end to the war, but Trumpworld insiders say that a slow escalation of the fighting between Israel and Iran ultimately forced the president’s hand.

According to persons close to the president, Iran’s downing of an Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman on Monday night was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The president announced the following day that the United States would respond, which turned into multiple waves of strikes on Iranian targets, including two water reservoirs.