"In the middle of negotiations" is arguably more and more used as a carte blanche to do whatever you want in the meantime. Prominent recent example being Putin pretending to be ready to negotiate for peace while bombing Ukraine.

The question is really whether negotiations were going on in good faith with the actual goal of realistic compromise.

None of us know that side, I would assume.

> They were literally in the middle of negotiations, but Trump started the war anyway...

It was pretty clear the negotiations had stalled based on statements put out by Iranian officials.