Jon Stewart grills Trump after Iran deal collapse, says Americans ‘were under the mistaken notion’ that he was ‘some kind of dealmaker-in-chief’

The situation between the United States and Iran has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and it’s clear that the optimism surrounding a potential peace deal is fading fast. On Monday, reports surfaced that Iran plans to stop all communication with the U.S. through intermediaries and intends to close the Strait of Hormuz.

This development follows a period of intense military activity, including Israel’s capture of the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and ongoing strikes in southern Beirut ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is a messy, complicated geopolitical situation, and it has become the latest target for Jon Stewart, who took to the stage on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show to share his thoughts on the administration’s handling of these international tensions.

As reported by The Hill, during his broadcast, Stewart reminded his audience that the public had been led to believe President Trump was a skilled negotiator. He noted that many Americans “were under the mistaken notion” that he was “some kind of dealmaker in chief.”

It is hard to ignore the frustration in that sentiment

The frustration makes more sense when you consider the frequency with which the administration has suggested that a breakthrough was right around the corner. Stewart pointed out that we have been hearing about a pending deal since as far back as March. He highlighted the repetitive nature of these claims, telling his viewers, “Looks like we’re going to finally put an end to the U.S.-Iran kerfuffle.”

The friction seems to stem from a fundamental disagreement over the terms of the ceasefire. According to reports from the Tasnim News Agency, which cited a post on the messaging app Telegram, Iran views Israel’s military actions in Lebanon as a direct violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reinforced this stance on X, stating that Lebanon is effectively included in the ceasefire with the U.S. and that any violation on one front is considered a violation across all fronts. The message was clear: “The United States and Israel bear responsibility for the consequences of any breach of the truce.” This comes after a weekend of direct military engagement where U.S. Central Command struck Iranian air defenses and drones in response to what it labeled as aggressive actions, including the downing of a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone.

President Trump has maintained a different perspective throughout these events. As of 1:00 a.m. Monday, he posted on Truth Social that Iran “really wants to make a deal” and urged people to “just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end – It always does! President DJT.” This insistence that everything is moving toward a positive resolution is exactly what Stewart found so aggravating. Stewart pointed to a recent social media post from the president where he blamed “negatively chirping” Democrats and “unpatriotic Republicans” for making it “MUCH tougher” to reach an agreement.

Stewart’s reaction to this blame-shifting was blunt. “You’re blaming this s— on us?” he exclaimed. He went on to mock the idea that a high-stakes international peace process is somehow dependent on silence from political opponents.

“You can’t make peace unless everybody’s quiet? Is making peace like putting or peeing? Is that what this is?” he asked, adding, “Oh, the peace won’t come out unless everybody shuts up.” It is a sharp critique of the administration’s narrative, and Stewart made it clear that he believes the responsibility lies elsewhere. “Maybe the problem isn’t us, who didn’t want this f—ing war in the first place,” he argued.

The comedian also took a broader look at the president’s personal approach to diplomacy. He suggested that the issue is a president who “talks out of both sides of his mouth” and whose statements are unreliable because they are often contradicted by his own subsequent actions. Stewart went so far as to claim that “Donald Trump isn’t actually a master gap-a-close-inator.”

He explained that true negotiation involves bringing different interests together to find common ground, whereas he believes Trump’s actual talent lies in creating the very division that makes those settlements so difficult to achieve. “Trump’s singular gift is in manufacturing the animus and division that actually makes negotiated settlements so difficult yet so necessary in this world. That’s his happy place,” Stewart concluded.

This criticism arrives at a time when the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is becoming increasingly volatile. While Trump had announced on Friday via Truth Social that he was ending the U.S. naval blockade and that ships could begin “heading home,” the recent decision by Iran to move to close the strait entirely creates a massive hurdle.