Peace In Our Time, Again

How long will this ridiculous charade go on?

by Robert Spencer |  Aug 4, 2026

Here we go again. On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that we are once again on the verge of a deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran that will finally make the lion lie down with the lamb, and that consequently he was calling off the next planned round of airstrikes:

The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Then on Sunday, Trump explained: “We were all set to go, just about at this time right now, and it would have been a massive attack.” OAN reported that Trump said it “would have been the largest since World War II. Speaking with the reporters on Air Force One Sunday, Trump said he held off giving the go-ahead on the attack at the request of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Iran.”

And as everyone knows, that quartet of friendly nations has nothing but the best interests of America and Americans at heart.

OAN added that “the call-off comes, as President Trump said Saturday, the framework for a new deal featuring a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and denuclearization for Iran has been reached. The president did not rule out further military action if talks fall through.” Of course. As he has so many times before.

Trump said: “You see, you see how it is. We’re ready to go anytime we want. Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people. Because people die, a lot of people die, and we don’t want that.” Of course. No one does. But all this means is that more people are going to die at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Meanwhile, just as predictably, “Iran’s foreign minister said today direct talks with the U.S. are not underway.” Of course. They never are, if the Islamic Republic is to be believed, even as Trump insists that Iran’s shadowy leaders are begging and pleading to make a deal.

How many times will he go through this ridiculous charade? Doesn’t he realize that whenever the rulers of the Islamic Republic need to buy time to gather their strength, they tell Trump they’re ready to negotiate? Doesn’t anyone around him have the sense and honesty to explain to him that the Islamic Republic will never honor any negotiated agreement with the United States? I explain why not here.

I’m old enough to remember, especially since it was just a few weeks ago, when Trump was excoriating the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran as “scum,” and saying that it was useless to try to negotiate with them. What did the Saudis and Qataris and Emiratis tell him to convince him otherwise? Or maybe he needed no convincing, since it wasn’t long before he was dismissing them that Trump himself was praising Iran’s leaders, and suggesting that since they were so calm and reasonable, as opposed to those whom they had replaced, that regime change had been effectively accomplished, even if the regime still bore the same.

This was, of course, complete nonsense, and now that Trump is back to proclaiming that a wonderful peace deal is just around the corner, he should be asked why he has revised yet again his previous highly jaundiced view of Iran’s leadership. Have the leaders changed? Has the Islamic Republic shown a reasonableness and willingness to make concessions that it did not display before? Or is this just another turn of the weathervane, and in a few days, they’ll be scum again and the bombings will be back on?