“President Donald Trump has appeared to publicly contradict some of his top advisers on at least three aspects of the war in Iran in recent days, as the conflict continues to impact world oil markets with no clear end in sight,” NBC News reports.

“While the administration has delivered mixed messaging on the conflict almost since the operation began in late February, the president over the past week has made repeated statements that seem to disagree with his own vice president, secretary of state and son-in-law over the goals and current state of the war.”

“President Donald Trump’s administration is downplaying expectations for a last-minute deal with Canada to avert fresh tariffs set to take effect Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said,” Bloomberg reports.

“The U.S. has signaled privately that the chances of a deal on Tuesday are a coin flip or worse, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe confidential discussions. The two sides face a midnight deadline before 50% tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods would kick in.”

“The Pentagon is evaluating its military footprint in the Middle East in an early sign of the Iran war’s potential to transform the U.S. presence in the region, according to eight people, including officials and others familiar with the matter,” the Washington Post reports.

“One of the key areas the Defense Department is assessing is whether to pull back troops from the Persian Gulf, where America’s large overseas military bases have been battered by months of Iranian strikes.”

“Senior Trump advisor Jared Kushner confirmed that communications between the U.S. and Iran are ‘more robust’ than ever, despite Iran’s denial of a backchannel between President Donald Trump and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Fox News reports.

“President Trump doubled down Tuesday on his claim to the Strait of Hormuz on behalf of America, posting a revised map of the area on social media that labeled the waterway ‘new U.S. territory,'” the New York Post reports.

“Trump posted the image on his Truth Social site, before claiming in subsequent posts that the area had been cleared of Iranian mines and no further talks with the Islamic Republic were scheduled.”

“President Donald Trump said he won’t try to revive a stalled truce with Iran, leaving the simmering conflict in the Middle East and a tussle for control of the Strait of Hormuz stuck in limbo,” Bloomberg reports.

“South Korea’s president said Tuesday a solid alliance with the U.S. strengthens the foundation of national security, as many South Koreans were baffled and concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt order to ‘substantially reduce’ joint military exercises,” the Associated Press reports.

CNBC: South Korea must brace for “worst-case scenario,” President Lee says, as Trump cuts military drills.

“President Trump has a new rule for America’s partners: Cross him in one theater, and the consequences will follow you into the next,” Axios reports.

“Trump has spent his second term battering U.S. allies, humiliating their leaders and using decades-old security relationships to settle personal and political scores.”

”The Iran war has only deepened those impulses: Trump is growing angrier at allies that stayed out of the conflict — and punishing them as he struggles to end it.”

Stephen Collinson: “As Donald Trump’s critics see it, he’s striking out badly on foreign policy.”

“But the president is still taking mighty swings.”

“His long-broken memorandum of understanding with Iran reached its 60-day expiration date on Monday. Instead of celebrating a nuclear deal that might have justified his war, Trump vented his frustration by finding some of America’s friends to punish and rekindling his relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.”

“President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea does not just slight a longtime ally but raises broader concerns about the security interests of the United States in Asia and elsewhere,” the Associated Press reports.

“Trump explained his decision by citing South Korea’s refusal to join his war against Iran and pointing to what he said was his good relationship with North Korea’s reclusive dictator, a transactional and personal approach to foreign policy that has defined the Republican’s presidency.”

“The last time President Trump vowed to halt a country’s nuclear weapons program, he held three face-to-face meetings with Kim Jong-un of North Korea, declared that the two men had developed a ‘great relationship’ and walked away empty-handed,” the New York Times reports.

“That was in Mr. Trump’s first term. Not only did the diplomatic effort fail, but Mr. Kim immediately hit the accelerator on his program and today possesses roughly 60 nuclear weapons, by some estimates, as well as missiles that appear capable of reaching the United States — exactly the combination Mr. Trump had vowed to dismantle.”

“For months now, proliferation experts have questioned whether Mr. Trump could also end up walking away from his efforts to check Iran’s nuclear program — especially now that he appears to be more focused on getting the Strait of Hormuz open than on dealing with Iran’s stockpiles of uranium, which are buried under rubble after the United States bombed them in June 2025.”

“The White House for weeks promised that Iran was close to signing a nuclear deal and that Oman could be helpful in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The tiny Gulf nation suddenly found itself at the center of the effort to end the war,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“This deal, however, has proved elusive. And President Trump’s frustration with this standoff prompted him to threaten to bomb Oman on Monday, as he alleged the country might be standing in the way of an agreement.”

Said Trump: “I don’t think they behaved very well, but we’d handle them very easily just like we do others.”

Mother Jones: Trump burns allies over Iran. South Korea and Oman are next.