For at least 38 times in just over two months, the president of the United States Donald Trump he described as imminent a agreement with Iran“It's almost done”, “ok on everything”, “only the details are missing”: a sequence of declarations which, according to a count relaunched by CNN, has been repeated with almost regular frequency, about once every two days, between press conferences, interviews, social media posts, and public appearances, including media events like the NBA Finals in New York. The result is a now evident paradox: the closer the agreement is announced, the more it seems to remain suspended, transforming itself into a self-sustaining political narrative that, in fact, precedes the reality of the negotiation.
US-Iran deal: The "almost done" narrative
La sequence of announcements on the Iran-US agreement starts on March 23rd, when Trump claims that Washington and Tehran have "almost all points of agreement," using the expression "almost all points of agreement." It's the first step in a rapidly consolidating narrative: the with Iran is described as close, technically possible and substantially defined.
Da Tehran, however, they arrive immediately denials or clarifications on the actual existence and progress of negotiations. This gap between political communication and diplomatic reality becomes one of the central elements of the affair.
US-Iran negotiations and the "two-week" rule
One of the most recurring aspects in the US-Iran negotiations concerns the timeThe agreement is almost always indicated as imminent, often within "two weeks" or "a few days." This timeframe becomes a constant in Trump's political communication on the Iran dossier.
On April 7, coinciding with a ceasefire, the US president spoke of a "very advanced" agreement and indicated two weeks as the timeframe for finalizing the agreement with Iran. However, no concrete results followed the deadline and the deadline it simply comes moved forward, without substantial changes in the negotiations.
Trump on Iran: "Deal accepted" and "almost done"
Between mid-April and May la communication intensifiesOn April 17, Trump repeatedly stated that Iran would "accept everything," that there were "no significant differences," and that an agreement could be reached "within a day or two." In the days immediately following, the message was repeated with minor variations: "We're very close," "It's practically done," "Just the final details are missing."
On April 20, in a post on Truth Social, the prediction becomes even more clear: "It will all happen very soon." Even at this stage, however, no concrete progress is made. At the same time, Iran is portrayed as strongly oriented toward an agreement, with recurring phrases such as "so badly to make a deal," "begging," or "wanting at all costs," contributing to an asymmetrical narrative of the negotiations.
Furthermore, the declarations are not concentrated in a single institutional context, but are distributed across multiple channels: television interviews like Fox Business e Axios, conversations with Lara Trump, posts on Truth Social, as well as public appearances at events and official travel. This constant dissemination reinforces the perception of an agreement always imminent, regardless of the actual status of the negotiations and their concrete evolution.
US-Iran deal never closed: a repeating dynamic
The most relevant point comes the 23 May, when Trump speaks of a "thoroughly negotiated" draft now ready for finalization. The agreement is presented as essentially sealed, with an announcement imminent and only "final details" to be ironed out. It is precisely on these details that the process stalls once again, highlighting the gap between political language and the reality of negotiations.
Even in the following weeks the mechanism does not change: the short-term forecasts, the two-week windows and the hypotheses of immediate effects of the agreement with Iran, such as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within a few days of signing.
According to various analyses, no concrete evidence has emerged indicating any real progress in US-Iran negotiations compared to previous months. Interpretations range from negotiating strategy, pressure on markets and public opinion, to a personal belief in the closeness of an agreement.
Trump's Iran deal announcements: The promise that becomes news
The case of the 38 announcements on the agreement between the United States and Iran shows a dynamic that is increasingly typical of contemporary international politics: the overlap between real negotiation e public communicationIn this scenario, the agreement seems to exist in language before it does in practice, amidst chasing "two weeks," final details that become crucial, and constant postponements that keep the negotiation always one step away from conclusion, without actually reaching it.
In the end, more than the signing of the agreement, what remains is its announced version: a promise that repeats itself, changes date and updates, ending up becoming the most constant news in the US-Iran dossier.
