38 times Trump claimed an Iran deal was near. What’s going on?

DUBAI: It has been more than two months since US President Donald Trump declared that a deal with Iran was within reach and announced a ceasefire intended to create space for negotiations.

Since then, Trump has repeatedly insisted that an agreement is just around the corner. Yet despite dozens of public predictions, no final deal has emerged.

According to a CNN analysis, Trump has said at least 38 times since late March that Iran and the United States were close to reaching an agreement or that Tehran was eager to strike a deal.

The pattern began less than a month into the conflict.

On March 23, Trump told reporters that there were “major points of agreement” and that the sides were close to a breakthrough. Iran, however, publicly denied that negotiations were taking place.

Over the following days, Trump repeatedly suggested Tehran was eager for an agreement, saying Iran wanted to “make a deal so badly” and was even “begging to make a deal.”

On March 29, he told reporters aboard Air Force One that he could see a deal being reached soon.

The predictions became more frequent in April.

On April 7, Trump announced a ceasefire and wrote on social media that the two sides were “very far along” and needed only two more weeks for an agreement to be finalised. He said it was an “honour” to see the long-running dispute nearing resolution.

A week later, he told Fox Business that the conflict was “very close to over” and again suggested Iran was eager to reach a settlement.

In a series of appearances on April 17, Trump went even further, saying Iran had “agreed to everything” and predicting a deal could be reached within “a day or two.”

No agreement followed.

‘Dying to make a deal’

Throughout late April and May, Trump continued to express confidence that a breakthrough was imminent.

On April 30, he said Iran was “dying to make a deal.” The following day, he predicted the war would not last much longer.

On May 18, Trump said he was delaying military action for a few days because regional countries believed a deal was close.

At the time, he acknowledged that previous expectations of a breakthrough had repeatedly failed to materialise.

“We’ve had periods of time where we thought pretty much getting close to making a deal and it didn’t work out,” Trump said, before adding: “But this is a little bit different.”

According to CNN, it was not different.

Trump continued to predict rapid progress, telling a congressional picnic on May 19 that the war would end very quickly. Days later, he described a deal as “largely negotiated” and said an announcement would come “shortly.”

On May 28, he again said the sides were close to a “very good deal.”

Even this week, Trump maintained that an agreement was near.

Speaking to Axios on Sunday, he said: “We are very close to a final deal with Iran. It is going to be a good deal.”

The following day, during a tele-rally for Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump again predicted a breakthrough within two weeks and said Iran was willing to make major concessions.

'Two to three days'

Trump repeated the prediction again on Tuesday, saying negotiations were in their "final throes" and that a deal was only days away.

"We're in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal," Trump told reporters on his return from an NBA Finals game. Asked whether an agreement was a matter of days or weeks, he replied: "Two or three days."

Major disputes remain unresolved, including Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions, access to frozen Iranian assets and security issues surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, all of which continue to complicate efforts to reach a final agreement.

Despite the repeated assurances, there is still no agreement between Washington and Tehran.

CNN noted that there is little evidence the two sides are any closer to a final settlement now than they were when Trump first declared a deal was imminent in early April.

The continued gap between Trump’s predictions and the reality on the ground has raised fresh questions about whether negotiations are genuinely nearing a breakthrough or whether the White House is seeking to project confidence amid a conflict that remains unresolved.