Fact Check: Did Trump make the ‘Iran never lost a negotiation’ remark?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid a major diplomatic breakthrough easing tensions in the Middle East following talks with Gulf leaders, a viral claim began circulating online alleging that President Donald Trump once said Iran never won a war but never lost a negotiation. The claim quickly gained traction across social media as discussions around a possible Iran deal intensified.
The rumor spread through a screenshot of an alleged post from Trump’s official X account, prompting users to question whether the statement was genuine or fabricated. Here is a closer look at the viral claim and the facts behind it.
Claim: Donald Trump once said Iran never lost a negotiation
The viral claim surfaced in the form of a screenshot showing a tweet posted from Trump’s official X account in March 2020. The alleged tweet read, “Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.”
Social media users widely shared the screenshot while discussing the ongoing diplomatic developments involving Iran. Many posts claimed that Trump had accurately predicted the current geopolitical situation surrounding negotiations in the Middle East.
The screenshot circulated heavily on X and Facebook, where it accumulated hundreds of thousands of views. While many users believed the post was authentic, others questioned whether the image had been digitally altered or fabricated.
Fact Check: Donald Trump did post the tweet in 2020
The viral screenshot is authentic. Trump did post the tweet on his official Twitter account, now known as X, in 2020. A search of Trump’s verified account confirmed that the post was genuine and publicly available.
The tweet resurfaced after Trump claimed that recent progress in easing tensions with Iran followed extensive talks with leaders across the Middle East and other countries. Diplomatic efforts have reportedly increased in recent weeks as multiple nations push to stabilize the region following months of military escalation.
The renewed attention surrounding the old tweet led many social media users to revisit Trump’s previous comments on Iran and negotiations with the country.
Iran disputes Donald Trump’s Strait of Hormuz remarks
Though Trump suggested that reopening the Strait of Hormuz could emerge as a key outcome of the ongoing negotiations, Iranian media outlets rejected those claims and insisted that control of the waterway would remain with Tehran.
According to an Iranian news agency, Trump’s remarks were “far from reality” and did not accurately reflect the terms currently under discussion.
“Based on the latest exchanged text, if a possible agreement is reached, the Strait of Hormuz will still be under Iran's management,” the agency reported.
“The management of the strait, determining the route, time, manner of passage, and issuing permits will remain exclusively under the control and discretion of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the report added.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei also stated that the “trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes,” while noting that several unresolved issues still needed to be addressed through diplomatic mediation.
