President Donald Trump is now pointing fingers inside his own administration as his shifting narrative on a potential ceasefire with Iran continues to unravel.
During remarks at the White House, Trump claimed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a top military official, Gen. Dan Caine, were “quite disappointed” by the prospect of the war ending, an eyebrow-raising assertion that appeared to undercut his own earlier push for a deal.
“I think this thing is going to be settled soon,” Trump said, before adding, “Pete didn’t want it to be settled.”
The comment comes just one day after Trump publicly insisted the United States and Iran had “major points of agreement” and ordered a temporary five-day pause on strikes targeting Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, framing it as a step toward de-escalation.
But that version of events quickly ran into resistance.
Iranian officials flatly denied that any negotiations were taking place, accusing Trump of attempting to manipulate global markets while maintaining that their strategic posture, including control over the Strait of Hormuz, had not changed.
By the following day, the messaging had shifted again.
A source told CNN there had been limited “outreach” between Washington and Tehran, with Iran signaling it was open to hearing “sustainable” proposals to end the conflict. Trump, meanwhile, pivoted to suggesting internal hesitation within his own ranks, while also hinting at unspecified “goodwill gestures” from Iran that could move talks forward.
The conflicting accounts, from Trump, Iran, and even within U.S. leadership, have added to growing uncertainty about whether any real ceasefire negotiations exist, or whether the situation is still being shaped as much by messaging as by diplomacy.
