In a world where some leaders can’t help but stick to striking out new deals or waging wars like they’re ongoing game shows, the recent kerfuffle over the Strait of Hormuz had tongues wagging. Yet, in a dazzling display of bravado, the President assured everyone that the U.S. was firmly in control, leaving Iran with nothing. One can almost picture it: the image of Uncle Sam taking command of the waterways while sending Iran’s ambitions adrift. Some skeptics might call it classic chest-thumping, but the President is nothing if not confident. His office seems to envision world issues as not too different from a board game, where you simply nip problems in the bud with a decisive roll of the dice.

Now, according to recent accounts, the Iranians are back to their old tricks, aiming to assert influence over the straits. But fret not; the current administration has slapped them back to their senses. Think of it like the world’s longest negotiating match, where conversations take the duration of a mini-series rather than a single one-hour special. Isn’t it ironic that international diplomacy in this century could use a bigger dose of good old-fashioned efficiency? Just get down to brass tacks and wrap it up over lunch. But this is the world we live in, where negotiations stretch on endlessly, especially with a foe like Iran adept in the art of the eternal talking marathon.

Our esteemed leaders have had their patience tested over decades by Iran—notably, the Iranians seem to think they are negotiation maestros. Each session morphs into a test of endurance for U.S. negotiators, with Iran insisting on adjustments more frequently than one adjusts the rear-view mirror on a long road trip. Like an endless loop of a tedious television rerun, people wonder if making a deal might be easier than assembling a flat-pack furniture piece. But alas, those familiar with these worldly games understand Iran employs tactics that would make procrastination look like an art form.

Such tactics have led to decades of what some may call diplomatic dawdling. The tale has been one of the Iranians nimbly slipping through the fingers of American administrations like a greased pig at a county fair. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher as to why past presidents hadn’t found a way to throw Iran’s playbook back at them, but then again, a lot of time was spent treading carefully.

So, the current administration pats itself on the back for not falling into past traps. If political history were a classroom, the President assures us he’s giving out no free passes to Iran this semester. Now some might argue whether Iran’s tactics are as menacing as they once were or whether they resemble someone flinging empty threats from a safe distance. The administration, however, boasts it is steering the course, leaving Iran to ponder over empty-handed plots. At the end of this saga, if a clearer restraint in the Strait of Hormuz is achieved, perhaps they can finally manage to avoid watching the same sorry episode yet again—now, that’s something even grade school negotiators would celebrate.