This headline has been evolving all day on CNN:
Iran denies talks with US as Trump claims ‘major points of agreement’ (paywall)
Early versions didn’t mention Iranian denials; they might not have been announced yet. I mentioned it to my Arts Editor and she said, “Trump must be out of bombs.”
It may well be that Trump is running out munitions, especially keeping in mind China and Russia will advance and challenge a weak leader like Trump if they perceive weakness; Trump may have been warned by his generals that his short, glorious war will be neither short nor glorious given how Iran is dug in.
But because Trump lives on reputation, he’s sensitive to changes in it. Trump’s War was not the quick and, if I might use that word again, glorious victory he no doubt envisioned. Instead, Iran is hitting back. Iranian leadership decapitated? They were replaced.
In a word, Trump, in his own mind, looks weak. He banked on looking strong and failed.
What’s his general fallback tactic? We all know it, folks, even his supporters know it.
LIE, LIE, LIE.
It’s an instinct for him. This time around he’s probably lying about having these talks, hoping whoever speaks for Iran plays along. He’s already given them a chance to sell oil, believing that to be a win-win maneuver, as Iran gets some cash and Trump gets the price of oil down.
But everyone watching knows this is Trump trying to wriggle out of yet another mistake.
Now, this could be wrong. The Iranian leadership may be lying, although I haven’t yet found angle in it for them, although I will note that, as theocrats, they’re not good people. But it’s far easier to believe Trump is lying, because that’s what he does.
Still, I do hope he announces a cease-fire that Iran publicly agrees to, because people will then be less likely to die. I don’t expect it, but I hope for it.
