Ultimatums, diplomacy and a trip to Graceland as Trump eyes Iran deal

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 occasional lurches into the surreal.

On Friday, he declared that America’s war against Iran is “slowing down”. On Saturday evening, he gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face new American airstrikes.

The next day, he played golf and spent the afternoon at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Meanwhile, US and Israeli airstrikes against Iranian targets continue. The Iranians continue to fire missiles and launch drones against U.S. forces and their Middle Eastern allies. Traffic through Hormuz remains limited.

At the time, Trump’s Saturday night ultimatum seemed clear: If Iran did not allow full access to Hormuz for international shipping, the United States would plunge the country into darkness by targeting its energy production infrastructure.

It was a stark warning. Iran responded that it would in turn target regional energy and water infrastructure. A new escalation of the three-week war, with potentially disastrous consequences for civilians, appeared imminent.

However, by Monday morning, Trump had called off the strikes – at least temporarily.

U.S. contact with an unnamed Iranian leader — contact not confirmed by Iran — was enough to warrant a five-day reprieve from the threatened attacks, the president said.

He struck an optimistic tone during the day, as he flew to Tennessee for a visit that he said had been planned weeks earlier.

The United States and Iran have “major points of agreement”, he declared from the tarmac before his departure.

“They really want to make a deal,” he said. “We would also like to make a deal.”

Hours later, speaking to U.S. National Guard personnel gathered in Memphis, he said the United States was having “very, very good discussions” with Iran.

“Iran has an additional opportunity to end its threats against America and our allies,” he said. “We hope they take it.”

Then Trump visited Graceland, Memphis’ most famous tourist attraction, to tout a drop in the city’s crime rate, which he attributed to the deployment of National Guard troops on its streets.

As Trump walked through Elvis’ house, observing the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”‘s tastes in fashion and design, reports continued to filter in about a presidential phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and possible direct discussions with Iranian officials later in the week.

The diplomatic wheels, it seemed, were in motion, although the lack of details left many around the world with a wary spirit, as Elvis once sang.

Iranian state media, citing Trump’s Truth Social message as evidence, claimed the president backed down in the face of threats. Iranian officials have denied any substantive discussions between the two countries. While the president spoke of “15 points of agreement,” he refused to give many details.

However, even the prospect of negotiations was enough to send the U.S. stock market soaring and global oil prices tumbling. What was shaping up to be a day of heartbreak for the world’s major economies now offered a glimmer of hope to investors eager to see a way out of this conflict.

Trump is back in Washington, where a new five-day countdown to US attacks on Iran’s electricity infrastructure will begin.

After fits and starts and a pilgrimage to the home of a deceased rock legend, Trump may have provided the first sign of real progress.

Or it could just be the latest example of this president realizing that the ultimatum he issued has put him in a difficult situation, forcing him to make a decision to buy more time.

While touring Graceland, Trump said he was a big Elvis fan and that Hurt was his favorite song.

However, given current circumstances, It’s Now or Never might have been a more appropriate choice.