Deal or no deal? Trump’s social media posts add confusion to Iran conflict

White HouseDeal or no deal? Trump’s social media posts add confusion to Iran conflict The president posted that a peace deal with Iran would be announced “shortly” and that a deal was “largely negotiated.” Then he posted it was not “even fully negotiated yet.”Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00President Donald Trump salutes during the National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery.Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 26, 2026, 5:37 PM EDTBy Justin Goldman and Laura StricklerWASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump’s team was actively working behind the scenes over Memorial Day weekend to deliver an Iran peace deal, the president’s own social posts left a trail of confusion. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It started late Saturday afternoon, following a call with 10 Arab leaders amid a flurry of questions about the state of the talks. Trump posted to Truth Social that a peace deal with Iran was “largely negotiated” and “will be announced shortly.” Reporters scrambled to pull together plans on how to cover the deal once it emerged, but no announcement came.Less than 24 hours later, Trump walked back his statement. The phrase “largely negotiated” became not “even fully negotiated yet.”The Trump administration has offered conflicting public reports on the war since the U.S. and Israel began the bombing campaign Feb. 28. The president initially said that Iran’s military capabilities were wiped out, only for official government assessments to emerge that Iran was digging out its arsenal. In early May, the president announced an effort to guide ships through the blocked Strait of Hormuz and his top allies publicly extolled the plan; then he canceled it 36 hours later, after backlash from Arab allies, NBC news reported. And over the weekend, amid conflicting reports on the peace talks, Iran accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire and threate...