President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
President Donald Trump's mismanagement of the war in Iran has drawn ridicule from late-night comedians, but now even CNN is getting in on the action.
In a damning supercut, Trump is shown telling reporters as early as a week after the war began that it would be over "pretty quickly." That was March 9.
Those phrases continued over March with the president saying he'd "finish the job very fast" and it would all be over "soon."
As recently as Wednesday, Trump promised it was "close to over," and on Thursday, he pledged it "should be ending pretty soon."
There was a brief ceasefire that is set to expire on April 22. Trump said that he will not extend the ceasefire and that a deal must be reached by then. The problem for Trump is that each time he sets a deadline and no deal is reached, there is another fight over the Strait of Hormuz. The stock markets go down and gas prices go up.
The ceasefire may be over before the April 22 deadline; however, after the U.S. fired on an Iranian ship and seized it despite the agreement.
Iran isn't certain it will even return to the talks in Pakistan, NBC News reported Monday.
In another over-the-top TruthSocial rant, Trump threatened to "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran" if there is no deal.
In a Monday post on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian explained that they don't trust the United States. He thinks that the "contradictory signals" coming from U.S. officials is signaling that the only acceptable deal is a complete surrender.
"Iranians do not submit to force," Pezeshkian said. He explained that "honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue."
A translation of a second post from its original Persian added, "Adherence to commitments is the logic that justifies any kind of dialogue. In addition to the deep historical distrust in Iran toward the background of the U.S. government's behavior and performance, the non-constructive and contradictory approach of U.S. officials in recent days carries a bitter message: they seek Iran's surrender. The people of Iran will not bow to coercion."
An Al Jazeera English report cited Fox host Maria Bartiromo, who said that Trump told her that the two countries were signing a deal on Monday in Pakistan. But when speaking to the New York Post, the 79-year-old president changed his story, saying that Vance was en route for another round of talks. Iran has made it clear that there is no deal, the BBC reported.
President Trump has repeatedly claimed over the past 8 weeks that the Iran war will be over "soon." (from @InsidePolitics@DanaBashCNN) pic.twitter.com/uSYJVYxR72
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) April 20, 2026