Fox News took a closer look Wednesday at President Donald Trump’s repeated assurances that a deal to end the conflict with Iran was near, airing a lengthy montage of statements made over several weeks as fighting continued and no agreement appeared in sight.
The segment aired on Special Report, where guest host John Roberts questioned how long the administration could continue describing a diplomatic breakthrough as imminent when negotiations remained stalled and military action persisted.
The discussion came as the United States carried out strikes against Iran for a second consecutive day following the downing of an American Apache helicopter earlier in the week. The helicopter’s crew was rescued in the Strait of Hormuz.
Although the United States and Iran are technically operating under what has been described as a ceasefire, both sides have continued to exchange periodic attacks. The conflict began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, after which Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a move that contributed to rising oil and gas prices.
Throughout the conflict, Trump has consistently projected optimism regarding negotiations. On numerous occasions he has suggested that an agreement was only days or weeks away, frequently portraying a resolution as just around the corner.
Yet recent developments have cast doubt on those expectations. Iranian negotiators suspended talks last week, and Iranian officials have argued that the United States is not pursuing what they consider a viable agreement.
Against that backdrop, Roberts introduced a montage of Trump’s public statements dating back more than two months.
“Nine weeks ago we had Iran on the ropes and ever since then President Trump has been talking about this elusive deal,” Roberts said before a series of clips aired.
The montage featured multiple examples of Trump expressing confidence that negotiations were nearing completion.
On March 31, Trump said, “Two or three weeks, we leave.”
On April 15, he stated, “I view it as very close to over… I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
The following day, he said, “It’s looking very good that we’re gonna make a deal with Iran.”
On May 7, Trump predicted, “It could happen any day. I believe they want the deal more than I do.”
Two weeks later, on May 22, he declared, “Iran is dying to make a deal.”
More recently, on June 9, Trump said the two sides were in “the final throes” of a deal and suggested it could be completed within days. On June 10, he again stated that negotiators were “really close” to reaching an agreement.
After the montage concluded, Roberts expressed skepticism that the repeated predictions continued to align with events on the ground.
“That’s nine weeks of ‘We’re close to a deal,’” Roberts observed. “At some point you’ve got to acknowledge it’s not happening.”
Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume largely agreed with that assessment while suggesting the president may be attempting to address multiple audiences simultaneously.
According to Hume, Trump could be signaling optimism to Americans, investors and consumers while also maintaining pressure on Iran by emphasizing that military action remains an option.
“He’s dealing with the Iranians and telling the American public and consumers and the owners of stocks that we’re close to a deal,” Hume said.
At the same time, Hume noted that Trump has repeatedly emphasized America’s readiness to strike if necessary.
The result, Hume suggested, is a situation that remains difficult to interpret.
“So, I think it’s a bit of a mystery here as to exactly where we are,” he concluded.
The exchange highlighted the growing uncertainty surrounding a conflict that has now stretched on despite repeated predictions that a negotiated end was imminent, underscoring the challenge of balancing diplomatic promises with the realities of an ongoing military confrontation.
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