Donald Trump was elected on a promise to avoid foreign wars and international entanglements.

On Saturday night, he sent B2 bombers into action to obliterate what was left of Iran’s nuclear programme, using the sort of deep-penetrating weapons that Israel lacks.

Insiders said this was not a departure from his campaign pledge but a reminder that American power is based on the idea of “peace through strength”.

He is still a leader who puts deals ahead of military action, said one former official speaking before the strikes, but one who recognises that the best deals come when adversaries are negotiating from a weakened position.

He had sent a signal of his intent on Thursday.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” was the quote read by Karoline Leavitt, his press secretary.

But headlines around the world misread Mr Trump’s intentions, suggesting that he had just announced a 14-day window for Iran to come to the table.

In fact he was saying said he would make his decision within two weeks. There was no window or deadline.

Concerned officials in the West Wing quietly started briefing that anything could still happen, at any time.

Mr Trump clarified the position on Friday when asked when he might take action: “I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum.”

With American assets – such as a second carrier strike group – moving into the region, pressure mounted on Iran to come back to the table.

Yet reports suggested Tehran was paralysed. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been spirited to a secret location and no-one could find him to respond to back-channel noises about setting up negotiations, officials told Axios.

With the president at his New Jersey golf course on Saturday, tensions ratcheted up again. Officials revealed that B2 stealth warplanes and refuelling tankers had left their Missouri base for the Pacific base of Guam.