Published On 5/17/2026
US President Donald Trump finds himself facing a complex and difficult equation. After he tried the military option against Iran to no avail, then negotiations without tangible results, he returned from Beijing empty-handed, finding himself faced with the inevitability of making a decisive decision amid a division within his administration between those who support war and those who adhere to the talks.
This is the conclusion of a report published today, Saturday, by the American CNN network, which dealt with the impasse facing Trump in light of his frustration with diplomatic efforts to end the war with Iran, and the stifling energy crisis resulting from Tehran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Yesterday, Friday, Trump returned to Washington after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the Beijing summit on May 14 and 15, without any tangible results that could be announced regarding the Iranian nuclear file or shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, except for repeating previous Chinese positions, according to what was stated in the article.
Crucial decision
Speaking to reporters during his return trip to Washington yesterday, Friday, Trump said that the Chinese leader stated that he wanted to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and that he agreed that Iran should not develop a nuclear weapon. However, these positions were previously announced by China, and do not reflect any change in its position to the benefit of Washington.
In an attempt to reduce his need for Beijing’s mediation, Trump told Fox News that his Chinese counterpart “wants help,” adding, “If he wants help, that’s great, but we don’t need it.”
CNN says that Trump must now decide whether he will choose to launch further strikes against Iran to end the long-standing conflict, which has caused global energy prices to rise, and his popular support rates in the United States to decline, according to opinion polls, due to the war on Iran.
Yesterday, Friday, the American President published a blog post on his “Truth Social” platform in which he said that his military campaign against Iran is continuing. Trump has repeatedly repeated recently that his patience is running out due to the failure to reach a concrete agreement with Iran during the Pakistani-brokered talks, threatening to destroy Iran with greater force.
Divide in positions
Regarding what is going on behind the scenes within the corridors of the US administration, CNN said that many administration officials wanted to know the outcomes of the talks between Trump and Xi Jinping before determining the course and scenarios for the next action regarding the Iran file.
Sources familiar with the talks revealed to CNN that there was a difference in views within the US administration regarding how to move forward, as some, including Pentagon officials, pushed towards adopting a more aggressive approach that included directing targeted strikes to increase pressure on Iran and push it to make concessions, while others argued for the need to continue focusing on the diplomatic solution.
Trump himself has leaned toward this negotiating approach in recent weeks, hoping that the combination of direct negotiations and economic pressure in light of the naval blockade will succeed in convincing Iran to conclude a deal.
However, Tehran has not shown a significant change in its conditions since Trump announced a ceasefire on April 7.
Electoral concerns
On the other hand, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to CNN that Trump “has all the options at his disposal. However, his preferred option is always diplomacy,” adding that “the United States has the maximum degree of pressure and influence on the regime, and the president will only accept an agreement that protects the national security of our country.”
In the midst of all this, the urgency is increasing within Trump’s inner circle to find a way out of this conflict with the approaching midterm elections for the US Congress, scheduled for next November, during which a number of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate will be re-elected.
Observers believe that the war on Iran has imposed a heavy political and economic cost on President Trump’s popularity, with voters feeling the brunt of economic pressures, and Republicans worried about bearing the consequences of this in next November’s elections, while Democrats are anticipating the opportunity to exploit the repercussions of the crisis politically and use it to strengthen their position against the Republicans during the upcoming elections.
