More than two months after President Trump declared that the United States and Iran were on the verge of a historic agreement, a final deal remains nowhere in sight despite repeated assurances from the White House that a breakthrough is imminent, CNN reports.

Since the early stages of the conflict, Trump has consistently projected optimism about negotiations with Tehran, repeatedly suggesting that an agreement was only days away. Yet after weeks of similar predictions, no formal accord has emerged.

On April 7, Trump announced a ceasefire and stated that both sides were nearing the finish line. In a social media post, he said the parties were “very far along” and estimated that only two more weeks would be needed before “the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.” He added that “it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution.”

That forecast did not materialize. Nevertheless, Trump has continued to describe a deal as imminent, making similar comments in interviews, public appearances, speeches, and online posts over the past two months.

CNN reports that by one count, Trump has publicly indicated no fewer than 38 times that negotiations were nearing completion or that Iran was eager to reach an agreement.

The President first began making such predictions on March 23, less than a month after hostilities began. Speaking with reporters near Air Force One, Trump referenced what he characterized as significant progress in discussions, saying there were “major points of agreement, I would say — almost all points of agreement.” Iranian officials, however, denied that negotiations were taking place.

The following day, Trump introduced a theme that would become a recurring feature of his comments, arguing that Iran was highly motivated to reach a settlement.

“I think we’re going to end it,” Trump added. “I can’t tell you for sure.”

Over the next several days, Trump intensified his rhetoric. On March 25, he claimed Iran wanted “to make a deal so badly.” One day later, during a Cabinet meeting, he asserted that Iranian officials were “begging to make a deal.”

Despite those declarations, negotiations remained unresolved.

On March 29, while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether an agreement could be completed within a week.

“I do see a deal in Iran, yeah,” he responded.

As the weeks progressed, the President’s confidence appeared to grow. On April 6, he stated that negotiators had previously been “very close to a deal” before encountering obstacles.

The next day, Trump announced a ceasefire that was expected to provide a two-week window for negotiations aimed at reaching a broader settlement.

By mid-April, Trump was again predicting a breakthrough. During an April 15 interview with Fox Business, he said, “I think it’s close to over, I view it as very close to over.”

“We’ll see what happens,” he added. “I think they want to make a deal very badly.”

The following days brought even stronger declarations.

On April 16, Trump told reporters, “It’s looking very good that we’re going to make a deal with Iran, and it’s going to be a good deal.”

A day later, he offered several optimistic assessments, stating that Iran had “agreed to everything,” that “I think we will get a deal in the next day or two,” and that “I don’t think there’s too many significant differences.”

On April 20, he took to Truth Social and predicted that “it will all happen, relatively quickly!”

As negotiations continued without resolution, Trump maintained his position. On April 30, he said Iran was “dying to make a deal.”

The next day, while discussing the conflict with reporters, he remarked, “When the war ends, which shouldn’t be too long …”

After a brief period with fewer public predictions, Trump returned to the subject on May 18. He revealed that he was postponing planned military action for “two or three days” after requests from regional governments that believed a diplomatic agreement was within reach.

At the time, Trump acknowledged that earlier expectations had repeatedly failed to produce results.

“We’ve had periods of time where we had — we thought pretty much getting close to making a deal and it didn’t work out,” Trump said.

Even so, he insisted, “But this is a little bit different.”

The negotiations continued without a breakthrough.

The next day, speaking at a congressional picnic, Trump declared, “We’re gonna end that war very quickly.”

By May 23, the President again signaled that a deal was nearing completion. He described negotiations as “getting a lot closer,” said the agreement was “largely negotiated, subject to finalization,” and predicted that an announcement would come “shortly” as negotiators worked through the remaining details.

Five days later, in an interview with Lara Trump, he said the administration was “close to a very good deal.”

The latest round of optimistic comments came over the weekend. Trump said the parties were “very close to having a deal,” while expressing concern that renewed tensions between Iran and Israel could complicate negotiations.

“We are very close to a final deal with Iran,” he told Axios. “It is going to be a good deal. I don’t want it to blow up because of what is happening now.”

It was at least the third time Trump had told the outlet that an agreement was imminent.

Despite ongoing military tensions in the region, the President has continued to project confidence.

During a tele-rally Monday in support of Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Trump predicted that the United States would achieve “total victory” within two weeks and said Iran was “willing to give us everything.”

Then, after attending the NBA Finals in New York on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that negotiations were in their final stage.

“The strait will open up right away,” Trump added. “It’ll open up immediately upon signing, which could be in two or three days.”

For now, however, the agreement that Trump has repeatedly described as imminent remains unsigned, leaving observers waiting to see whether the latest prediction will prove more accurate than the many that came before it.

{Matzav.com}