President Donald Trump came out on April 23 swearing he will not use nuclear weapons against Iran. Asked directly, he replied: “No. Why would I do that? What a stupid question.” And he closed with a line now circling the world: a nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody. Beautiful speech, but it helps to have memory.

Barely two weeks ago, the same Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not bend to his demands. The White House had to publicly deny that he was planning a nuclear strike, while Vice President JD Vance spoke of “tools we haven’t decided to use yet.” The ambiguity was measured to the millimeter.

Credibility cracks on several fronts. Trump has contradicted his own threats every week, depending on what suits the negotiation. First a ceasefire, then not. Then extended, but with a naval blockade. Today he rules out the bomb, yesterday he spoke of wiping out a civilization. Each statement lasts until the next press briefing.

The context does not help trust the pacifist pivot either. Trump also dropped that “200 dollar oil is better than Iran with nuclear weapons” and said he is in no hurry to end the war. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is already heading to the region with 2,500 Marines and three destroyers. The weapons keep arriving while the rhetoric softens.