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It is a sad thing when high-level American and Iranian officials make contradictory claims and the Iranians turn out to be right. This has happened a few times since the war began almost six weeks ago. In the latest instance, U.S. officials said the two sides were very close to agreement on a peace deal; the Iranians denied that assessment, and indeed, at least so far, no deal has been struck.

The continued impasse was predictable. President Donald Trump appears all too desperate for an end to the war. The commanders of the Revolutionary Guard, the elite military unit now running Iran, are in no hurry, having survived a massive U.S.–Israeli bombing campaign and in fact emerging in some ways more powerful than before.

At this point, the competition is over which side can outlast the other’s suffering—Trump (whose popularity is tanking amid the high gas prices resulting from Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz) or the Iranians (whose population is suffering from the bombing’s devastation and the subsequent U.S. blockade). The Iranian officers—who feel little if any pressure from the population, having killed thousands of protesters just before the war began—believe they have the edge. According to the Washington Post, a report by the CIA, classified confidential, agrees.

This self-confidence, which seems justified, is reinforced by Trump’s continued wavering. Several times, he has promised to resume the strikes, even threatening to bomb Iran “back to the stone age,” then backpedaled. He and his top aides declared Operation Epic Fury (as he named the war) to be over and won, even though none of his stated goals have been achieved. Then he announced a new phase, Project Freedom, in which U.S. warships would escort oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, only to call it off after less than two days. He said he had suspended the project because of major progress in peace talks mediated by Pakistan—but according to several news reports, the real reason was that the Saudis told him they would block the U.S. military from using their bases or airspace if he continued with the operation.

Now Trump is saying he will resume the bombing if Iran doesn’t accept a proposed 14-point peace plan as the basis for negotiations, to be held over a 30-day period. There is no reason why the Iranian officers should take his offer or his threat at all........

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