The nearly one-month-old war pitting the United States and Israel against Iran shows no signs of letting up, but President Donald Trump is clearly trying to end it on his own terms.

Over the past few days, as US and Israeli aircraft have continued to bomb Iran, Trump has issued both optimistic and threatening pronouncements.

He announced that his representatives are engaged in negotiations with Iran to achieve a “complete and total resolution” of the conflict. He disclosed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have participated in the discussions.

He boasted that the United States and Iran have had “really good discussions” to resolve it. Claiming that they are close to an agreement that would lead to a total cessation of hostilities, he said that Iran is “desperate” for talks and desires a peaceful outcome.

On March 26, he said that Iran is “begging” for a deal. If Iran refuses to sign on the dotted line, “we’ll just keep blowing them away,” he warned.

It is difficult to ascertain whether Trump is exaggerating or just engaging in wishful thinking, but this much seems certain. He is interested in winding down a war that is definitely unpopular among the majority of Americans.

His motives are clear.

He hopes to declare “victory” and extricate himself from could be a Vietnam or Iraq-style morass that could tarnish his presidency and alienate his Republican Party supporters.

And he seeks to bring down skyrocketing oil and natural gas prices, which directly affect the global economy.

Perfectly aware of Trump’s considerations, Iran is downplaying his claims that a deal is imminent. Iran is driven by the assumption that Trump is insincere. During the previous two rounds of US-Iran........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)