With the Iran war now locked in a costly standoff and conflicts from Ukraine to Gaza still unresolved, President Donald Trump's ambitious foreign policy agenda appears increasingly stalled as he heads toward November's midterm elections.
The setbacks are striking for a president who returned to office last year promising to be a "peacemaker" and made resolving international conflicts a central pillar of his second-term agenda.
Trump has grown increasingly impatient with questions from reporters and criticism from U.S. allies. This week, he lashed out at journalists pressing him about his foreign policy record and renewed his threat to bomb Oman, a U.S. ally involved in negotiations with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Labor Day, which falls on Sept. 7 this year, traditionally marks the point when U.S. election campaigns accelerate. Republicans now face the prospect that unresolved conflicts abroad, along with their economic consequences at home, could threaten the party's hold on Congress.
Iran stalemate takes political toll
