Sometimes I think it’s a sin when he feels like he’s winning when we’re losing again

I don’t want to say that there’s a lack of confidence in the Art of the Deal in the international community, but:

A ceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appeared to hang by a thread Wednesday after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demanded that the channel be reopened and sought to keep peace talks on track.

The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. At the same time, Israel intensified its attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, hitting commercial and residential areas in Beirut. At least 182 people were killed Wednesday in the deadliest day of fighting there.

The fresh violence threatened to scuttle what U.S. Vice President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal.

The Iranian parliament speaker said planned talks were “unreasonable” because Washington broke three of Tehran’s 10 conditions for an end to the fighting. In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf objected to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire took effect and U.S. refusal to accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities in a final agreement.

And to look at the bigger picture:

Yet the hardliners who have ruled Tehran for the past 47 years are still in charge. Iran still possesses its stockpile of highly enriched uranium — one of President Donald Trump’s key reasons for starting the war. And it can claim a newfound dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, a growing threat to world energy markets.

As negotiations begin this weekend in Pakistan for a permanent end to the conflict, the war has reaffirmed Iran’s regional significance, including its ability to strike its neighbors with missiles and drones — and inflict economic and political pain on its adversaries.

“I don’t know how the genie goes back in the bottle without the U.S. massively redefining our strategic objectives,” said a defense official. “I can’t imagine what the U.S. could offer or threaten Iran with at this point that generates a satisfying outcome.”

Doing half-assed negotiations to end a war that never had any coherent objectives seemed like a great idea, but something appears to have gone wrong.