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WASHINGTON — <\/span>President Donald Trump has considered himself an effective dealmaker above all else<\/a>, but he appears to have hit a wall with Iran as his tough talk, threats and even military action have not moved Tehran from its long-established positions.<\/p>\n With shifting goals<\/a> that make it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. effort, Trump and his top aides have insisted the United States has already won the war and that Iran is ready to reach an agreement in the wake of escalating U.S. threats<\/a> during a tenuous ceasefire<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Trump once again backed down<\/a>, saying Monday that he had put plans for an imminent resumption of attacks on hold at the request of Gulf Arab states because \u201cserious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n Although he said he had called off strikes planned for Tuesday, Trump kept up the bravado, saying he told military leaders \u201cto be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment\u2019s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.\u201d Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite growing internal unrest, a crippled economy and the deaths of many of its leaders, there is no evidence Iran is set to meet Trump’s demands<\/a> \u2014 many of which it has long rejected. In fact, it has dug in. That has left Trump\u2019s stated top objectives unrealized: Iran has yet to agree to abandon its nuclear program<\/a> or its ballistic missile development, or cease support for its proxies in the region, including those in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.<\/p>\n The White House on Monday defended the president’s approach, saying, \u201cTrump’s preference is always peace and diplomacy\u201d but he will only accept a deal that puts America first. \u201cPresident Trump holds all the cards and wisely keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,\u201d spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement to The Associated Press. <\/p>\n Crucially, Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane for global oil supplies, even as the U.S. military has enforced its own blockade on Iranian ports. The wild shifts in the global energy market<\/a> that followed have raised gasoline prices<\/a>, hurting U.S. consumers and causing potential problems for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of congressional midterm elections in November.<\/p>\n Trump’s playbook of turning up the pressure \u2014 economically and militarily \u2014 to bend foreign governments to his will is not playing out in Iran as it has in Venezuela, Cuba and elsewhere. Oil blockades have squeezed those two countries<\/a> and the Trump administration quickly ousted Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>, but they do not hold a bargaining chip as effective as Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n