[epistasis]

Nobody has come up with anything halfway rational to explain this behavior. The closest, the so-called "Mar-a-lago Accord", is filled with so many holes that it cannot be a coherent theory. (See, for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfDKbWA1NzY for an explanation of it and why it's obviously wrong).

One thing that dictators reliably do is tank the economy to destroy the middle class, which consolidates power for them. That's the most coherent motivation that I have bene able to find.

[rsync]

The best explanation I can think of is that sanctions relief will be exchanged for haircuts (restructuring) of foreign held debt.

If you’re familiar with bankruptcy - and the president is - then you know all about reduction of principal…

[epistasis]

That is roughly the Mar-a-lago accord idea, but the both the financial leverage for that and the negotiating tactics have been completely mismanaged if that's the goal, it really doesn't make any sense.