President Donald Trump started his early morning in a familiar place: on social media, looking for someone to blame.
After repeatedly claiming Iran was eager to strike a deal to end the war that started on Feb. 28 with a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic, Trump lashed out in an early-morning Truth Social post Monday, arguing that Democrats and “unpatriotic Republicans” were making it harder for him to negotiate.
But his attempt to shift responsibility collided almost immediately with a new video montage showing Trump declaring for months that Iran desperately wanted an agreement to end the war, raising fresh questions about whether the obstacle lies with his critics or with the constantly changing demands coming from his own administration.
Trump’s latest frustration spilled onto Truth Social at 1:02 a.m. Monday’s talks over ending the conflict with Iran remained stalled despite weeks of assurances that progress was being made.
“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us,” Trump claimed in his overnight post.
He then blamed domestic political opponents for complicating the negotiations.
“But don’t the Dumocrats, and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans, understand that it is MUCH tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate, when political hacks keep negatively ‘chirping,’ at levels never seen before, over and over again, that I should move faster, or move slower, or go to war, or not go to war, or whatever.”
Trump concluded with a familiar promise of eventual success.
“Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end-It always does!”
The remarks came as negotiations remain bogged down over key issues described by the American side as including Iran’s nuclear program and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic shipping route whose near-closure has sent global energy markets into turmoil for months after the Islamic Republic choked off commercial traffic in the days after the war started.
Iran, for its part, says the Trump administration continues to change its demands amid a negotiating atmosphere marked by distrust — when the war began the two sides just days earlier had been ironing out the finer details of a new nuclear treaty — and Israel’s refusal to end its widening military campaign in Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on southern Beirut on Monday before appearing to back off as he reiterated that the U.S.-Iran negotiations will not affect Israel’s campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. The Lebanon issue remains a key sticking point for the Iranians.
The administration is also facing renewed military tensions. U.S. Central Command said American forces conducted “self-defense strikes” against Iranian radar and drone-control facilities over the weekend after what it described as aggressive Iranian actions, according to CNN.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by firing a missile at a U.S. air base in Kuwait, the IRG says, which was involved in attacks on Iranian territory.
The latest flare-up arrived as Trump once again altered language in a proposed memorandum of understanding intended to extend the ceasefire and establish a framework for broader negotiations.
According to officials familiar with the talks, Trump’s latest revisions focused on stricter language regarding Iran’s nuclear commitments and guarantees involving the Strait of Hormuz. The revisions reportedly extended negotiations that administration officials had previously suggested were nearing completion.
A senior administration official told Axios that a response from Iran could take several days because Iranian officials are operating under difficult conditions.
“They’re literally in caves and they’re not using email,” the senior administration official claimed to Axios.
Despite the delays, the official maintained confidence in the outcome.
“There will be a deal,” the senior administration official said. “It could be a week. It could be less. It could be more. At the turn of the week, we hope to have something.”
Yet Trump’s critics quickly pointed to a growing credibility problem. Shortly after his latest claim that Iran wants an agreement, MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” aired a supercut documenting months of nearly identical predictions from the president.
The video compilation began with Trump telling Fox Business host Larry Kudlow on Feb. 10, “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know. I know one thing. They want to make a deal. They wouldn’t talk to anybody else, but they’re talking to me.”
A week later aboard Air Force One, Trump again insisted, “I hope, I hope, they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
Nearly a month later, while seated between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump escalated the claim.
“They want to make a deal. They are begging to make a deal — not me. They are begging to make a deal. And anybody that saw what was happening over there would understand why they want to make a deal.”
The montage continued with additional examples from March, April and May, culminating with Trump’s declaration at a Cabinet meeting last week.
“Iran is very much intent — they want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven’t gotten there. We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be.”
After the compilation ended, Morning Joe host Jonathan Lemire offered a pointed assessment.
“That’s President Trump’s ‘Let’s Make a Deal: Iran Version.’ And of course, no agreement yet.” One Facebook viewer made a pointed remark, “He’s a total fool.”
The contrast highlighted a growing challenge for the White House. While Trump now argues that political opponents are undermining negotiations, reports have also indicated that some of the delays stem from changes his own team continues making to proposed agreements.
One sticking point involves Trump’s insistence that Iran surrender its highly enriched uranium stockpiles. Another involves financial terms that Iran says must be part of any final agreement but that Trump has publicly rejected.
Those unresolved disputes have complicated Trump’s promise to deliver a swift end to the conflict. Last week he described the deal as largely complete and suggested a final decision was imminent. But a weekend Situation Room meeting ended without an announcement.
Last month, Atlanta Black Star reported that some officials questioned whether Trump’s ongoing bluster and social media posts had been actively undermining the negotiations.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has continued signaling that discussions remain active while cautioning that no agreement should be judged before a final outcome is reached.
