America may be a nation at war, but President Donald Trump's activities over the past few days have been a mix of diplomacy and diversions - with the occasional swing towards the surreal. On Friday, he said the US war against Iran was 'winding down'. By Saturday night, he had given Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face withering new American airstrikes. The next day, he golfed and spent the afternoon at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
By Monday morning, with global markets swooning, he said the Iranians were engaging in 'constructive' talks with the US. Then he flew to Memphis, Tennessee, gave a speech and visited Graceland, music legend Elvis Presley's historic home.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets are ongoing. The Iranians continue to fire missiles and launch drones against US forces and its Middle East allies. Traffic through Hormuz remains limited.
At the time, Trump's Saturday-night ultimatum seemed clear: if Iran didn't allow full access to Hormuz for international shipping, the US would plunge the nation into darkness by targeting its energy production infrastructure. It was a stark warning. Iran replied that it would, in turn, target regional energy and water infrastructure. A new escalation of the three-week war, with potentially dire consequences for civilians, appeared imminent.
By Monday morning, however, Trump had called off the strikes – at least temporarily. US contact with an unnamed Iranian leader - contact not confirmed by Iran - was enough to merit a five-day stay of the threatened attacks, the president said. He struck an optimistic tone over the course of the day, as he flew to Tennessee for a visit he said had been planned weeks earlier.
Trump stated, 'The US and Iran have 'major points of agreement.' He later mentioned, 'They want very much to make a deal,' adding, 'We'd like to make a deal, too.' A few hours later, speaking to gathered US National Guard personnel in Memphis, he expressed optimism regarding discussions with Iran.
Then Trump headed to Graceland to tout a drop in Memphis's crime rate, which he attributed to the deployment of National Guard soldiers. As Trump walked through Elvis's home, observing the fashion and design tastes of the 'king of rock'n'roll', reports continued of a presidential phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and potential direct talks with Iranian officials later in the week.
Diplomatic wheels appeared to be in motion as the possibility of talks had positively affected the US stock market, surging and sending global oil prices dropping. Trump is back in Washington, where a new five-day countdown to US attacks on Iranian power infrastructure will begin. After fits, starts, and a pilgrimage to the home of a deceased rock legend, Trump may have provided the first indication of a real breakthrough, or it might just be another instance of him buying himself more time amid looming threats.
By Monday morning, with global markets swooning, he said the Iranians were engaging in 'constructive' talks with the US. Then he flew to Memphis, Tennessee, gave a speech and visited Graceland, music legend Elvis Presley's historic home.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets are ongoing. The Iranians continue to fire missiles and launch drones against US forces and its Middle East allies. Traffic through Hormuz remains limited.
At the time, Trump's Saturday-night ultimatum seemed clear: if Iran didn't allow full access to Hormuz for international shipping, the US would plunge the nation into darkness by targeting its energy production infrastructure. It was a stark warning. Iran replied that it would, in turn, target regional energy and water infrastructure. A new escalation of the three-week war, with potentially dire consequences for civilians, appeared imminent.
By Monday morning, however, Trump had called off the strikes – at least temporarily. US contact with an unnamed Iranian leader - contact not confirmed by Iran - was enough to merit a five-day stay of the threatened attacks, the president said. He struck an optimistic tone over the course of the day, as he flew to Tennessee for a visit he said had been planned weeks earlier.
Trump stated, 'The US and Iran have 'major points of agreement.' He later mentioned, 'They want very much to make a deal,' adding, 'We'd like to make a deal, too.' A few hours later, speaking to gathered US National Guard personnel in Memphis, he expressed optimism regarding discussions with Iran.
Then Trump headed to Graceland to tout a drop in Memphis's crime rate, which he attributed to the deployment of National Guard soldiers. As Trump walked through Elvis's home, observing the fashion and design tastes of the 'king of rock'n'roll', reports continued of a presidential phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and potential direct talks with Iranian officials later in the week.
Diplomatic wheels appeared to be in motion as the possibility of talks had positively affected the US stock market, surging and sending global oil prices dropping. Trump is back in Washington, where a new five-day countdown to US attacks on Iranian power infrastructure will begin. After fits, starts, and a pilgrimage to the home of a deceased rock legend, Trump may have provided the first indication of a real breakthrough, or it might just be another instance of him buying himself more time amid looming threats.
