Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner
“On Thursday and Friday, there seemed to be progress toward a war-ending deal. President Trump went along with an Iranian demand that Israel must cease bombing Lebanon as a precondition to talks. … on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the Strait of Hormuz was ‘completely open.’ Trump claimed that a deal was at hand, leading the stock market to jump and the price of oil to fall. In ordinary diplomacy, this is how a deal unfolds. Each side offers the other something constructive, a process that builds confidence and trust, until eventually a firm agreement can be signed. But Trump is not a ordinary diplomat. Only a few hours after Araghchi proclaimed the strait open, Trump closed it again, announcing that the U.S. would continue its own blockade of the strait ‘until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.” (04/20/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/04/20/trump-sabotages-his-own-much-exaggerated-iran-deal/