Donald Trump's claims of progress clash with ongoing strikes, raising doubts about truth, strategy and the reality of conflict in the region.
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 23, 2026. President Donald Trump said Monday that there are “major points of agreement” in US-Iran talks which he said must result in Tehran giving up its nuclear ambitions and enriched uranium stockpile. Trump said the talks — which Iran denies are taking place — were being conducted with a “top person” but not the country’s supreme leader. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
It is a sign of the strange times we live in – and the strange people dominating the news cycle that, as some wag pointed out, we have to ask the Iranians if Donald Trump was telling the truth yesterday when he said there had been talks with Tehran.
The Iranians said no. Do we believe them? No. Do we, however, accept anything that Trump says, given his habit of bending the truth or flip-flopping after the fact? No.
The US president didn’t call a ceasefire – but said the US would not attack Iranian power plants as he himself had threatened to do if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
His apparent climb-down came just hours before that deadline was to expire.
Tehran said Trump is saying this only to calm the global oil markets, which have gone crazy in the past four weeks. There may be some truth in that.
But if Trump is trying to put together a graceful withdrawal, he won’t be able to.
After repeated promises that the Iranians would be destroyed, somebody is still firing missiles and launching drones at Israel and the US allies in the gulf region.
Someone is still fighting the war Trump claims to have won.
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