Trump says US and Iran are talking. His claim is eliciting market cheers and plenty of skepticism

President Donald Trump started the fourth week of his war against Iran by offering the world some guarded optimism that the U.S. could soon be winding down its military operations. It was a claim that buoyed markets on Monday. But Iranian officials dismissed it as a ploy to buy time. Trump said he was putting off for five days his threat to bomb Iran’s power plants unless Tehran quickly opened the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers. He said his envoys have had “very good” talks with unnamed Iranian officials. But Tehran denied that. If Trump were to end the war now, he would be walking away at a moment when he still hasn’t fully achieved his stated objectives.