Has President Trump discovered his “off-ramp” from the war in Iran? His administration insists that Iran’s military power has been crushed, that its already broken economy is now all but dead, and that the Islamic Republic is on its last legs, desperate to make a deal.

Yet Tehran, or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard deep state that effectively calls the shots, still shows little willingness to accept defeat. Indeed, if anything, the official noises and propaganda emanating from Iranian channels suggest a regime that feels Trump has committed a huge strategic blunder.

Trump has, on Truth Social at least, extended his ceasefire “indefinitely” while negotiations continue. But the Iranian peace talks – similar to so many other aspects of Trump’s second presidency – now appear to exist in some strange state of limbo between reality and fantasy.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. The US naval blockade continues. The US sanctions remain in place. The fundamental issues separating the combatants remain unresolved, and the price of oil is rising as the markets realize that wars don’t just end because a President says “PEACE” in capital letters on social media.

America’s overriding goal seems simple: Iran must end its nuclear program, once and for all. But Iran does........

© The Spectator