President Donald Trump is set to meet with his Cabinet on Wednesday at a delicate stage in negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran, days after claiming that his administration and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a settlement, even as talks remain fluid and unresolved.
Heading into the meeting with senior advisers, Trump is projecting confidence that a deal is within reach. Such an agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow him to argue that Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been sufficiently degraded to declare victory, effectively drawing down a conflict that has proved politically unpopular among Republicans.
Yet even as momentum builds, the risk of an unsatisfying conclusion looms large. The emerging framework appears to defer several key issues to future negotiations and has drawn sharp criticism, including from within Trump’s own political base, over concerns that Iran’s leadership could emerge weakened but ultimately emboldened.
The stakes are rising as the midterm elections approach, with control of Congress in play and Republican anxieties growing that higher costs and fuel prices could further sour public sentiment.
Talks were further complicated after U.S. forces carried out what the Pentagon called “defensive” strikes on missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in southern Iran on Monday. The U.S. said it acted with restraint in light of the weekslong cease-fire, while Iran decried the action as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability.”
