It's been nearly a month since the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran on February 28, and President Trump is now very publicly desperate for a way out.
In press conferences, Truth Social posts, and calls with congressional Republicans, Trump has been sending the same message repeatedly: the war will be over "very soon." He's described the campaign as a "little excursion." He's claimed that Iran's military has been "obliterated." He's said Iran is "begging to make a deal." And yet, four weeks in, the bombs are still falling, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, oil is trading above $100 a barrel, and diplomacy looks anything but close to a breakthrough.
The United States has reportedly drafted a 15-point peace proposal, delivered to Iran via Pakistan acting as an intermediary. The offer includes extensive sanctions relief in exchange for Iran giving up its enriched uranium, dismantling its nuclear program, limiting its ballistic missiles, and cutting off support to groups like Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas. Iran rejected the proposal outright, issuing its own five-point counter-demand — including war reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's messaging has grown increasingly contradictory. On the same week he talked about "winding down" the conflict, his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters the war was "just beginning." On one day Trump said Iran was ready to deal; the next, Iran publicly denied any negotiations were happening at all. On Truth Social, Trump described the Iranian negotiators as "strange" — "begging" for a deal while pretending not to want one.
The human and economic costs are mounting. The UN human rights chief has flagged strikes on homes, hospitals, schools, and cultural sites on both sides. The IEA has called this the largest global energy supply disruption in history. Trump's domestic approval numbers are falling, airport security lines are growing longer, and the cost of living is climbing.
What's clear is that Trump went into this war expecting a short, decisive campaign — the kind of clean win he could frame as a triumph. What he got was the oldest lesson in modern warfare: ending a conflict is always harder than starting one.