Donald Trump’s sudden aboutface on Iran in the wake of his weekend ultimatum to the regime was the last option open to him if he didn’t want to launch nuclear weapons, one expert has claimed.

The President of the United States announced on social media on Saturday night that he was giving Iran 48 hours to reopen the economically crucial Strait of Hormuz or he would begin destroying the country’s energy infrastructure with military strikes. The bombshell Truth Social post read: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

That deadline, due to fall at 11.44pm on Monday night, is no longer relevant after Trump took to the same site on Monday morning to insist that “very good and productive talks” with Iranian officials meant he had instructed US forces to pause any military strikes. There has been no recognition of ongoing talks from the Iranian side, and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to all but a select group of nations.

Professor Anthony Glees, a security expert from the University of Buckingham, told the Express that Trump had backed himself into a corner with the unexpected ultimatum, leaving him at the mercy of global oil markets and an unhappy domestic audience back in the US.

Prof Glees said: “Trump has a long history of issuing deadline for various leaders to do what he wants and then missing them. The list is extremely large: at least 5 deadlines given to end the war in Ukraine in 2025; the 48 hours deadline given to Hamas in October 2025 ‘LAST CHANCE’ for them to accept his Peace Proposal or face ‘Hell like no one has ever seen before’; the ‘two week’ deadline to Iran last year to make a deal with him or face an attack which never materialised.

“His credibility is now on the rocks, both in terms of all the previous ultimatums he’s issued but then disregarded, and because he’s the guy who got to the White House promising peace and, no more forever wars, who has now: embarked on war in Venezuela, a war of choice and intervention against Iran which could so easily become a forever war if it is not ended very, very soon; and is well on his way to a war in Cuba.”

That contradiction has led to a messy political situation for the MAGA leader at home. Recent approval rating polls have Trump sitting around 38%, the lowest they’ve been this year.

Trump’s war on Iran has now entered its fourth week. Ongoing US and Israeli strikes, and reciprocal strikes from Iran itself aimed at nations across the Middle East, has plunged the global economy into chaos. Despite initially claiming the war would be over in a matter of days once a series of key but not clearly defined objectives were met, the war has rumbled on.

Prof Glees expanded: “If the war goes on, it will finish Trump off, without any doubt, amongst his MAGA base but also more generally and also within Europe and globally.

“Frankly, Trump has got everything about this war wrong, everything. We do not believe he actually obliterated all of Iran’s supplies of enriched uranium from which to manufacture nukes, we do not believe he and the Israelis killed all of Iran’s leaders, and we do not believe he took out Iran’s entire capacity to launch drones and missiles, far from it.

“Given the fact that the regime and the ayatollahs are still running the show even if they’re the back-up of the back-up, and self-evidently can launch their drones and missiles at will, even getting within meters of Dimona’s nuclear facilities in Israel, Trump had only two options. Either to use nuclear weapons himself to destroy Iran, which he would really not want to do, or to back down.

“He’s chosen the latter. The only thing Trump can do to attempt to regain the trust of his followers is end the Iran war within days. It may not work but it is better for us than the alternative.”