It hardly worth it to read the news on Iran these days. On this, though, I can hardly blame the reporters, because Trump bobs and weaves – purposely – in a way that’s pretty much impossible to predict as far as outcome goes.

And yet, this is where we are at the moment, at least verbally:

President Trump threatened Iran on Wednesday with “higher level” military strikes if it doesn’t accept a peace deal, but he says it’s “too soon” for new direct talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan after reporting “great progress” in negotiations to end the war.
Iran has yet to react publicly to President Trump’s announcement of a pause in the brief Project Freedom mission to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which prompted the first Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and against U.S. Gulf allies in almost a month.
Mr. Trump put Project Freedom on pause Tuesday night, saying it was to see if “a Complete and Final Agreement” to end the war with Iran could be nailed down amid what he called “great progress” in negotiations brokered by Pakistan.

I read all sorts of alarming things about the possible deal in the works. I won’t even link to them because, if previous experience is any guide, they are meaningless.

I also note that fuel prices are high, but not as high as in 2022 (Biden administration):

Gasoline prices across the U.S. surged to an average of $4.54 a gallon on Wednesday, the highest since July 2022, according to AAA data.

The price of regular gas has jumped 52%, or $1.56 per gallon, since the start of the Iran war in late February, as disruptions to oil flows in the Middle East drive up costs for motorists. The cost is approaching the highest-ever gas price, when it reached $5.02 a gallon in June 2022 during a pandemic-era spike in inflation.

But who can remember back that far? So hey, let’s elect Democrats because they’re so good at holding down gas prices!