Trump's penchant for 'peacemaking' sees another messy ceasefire boast

India Today

10 hours ago

Did US President Donald Trump pull off an India-Pakistan on Israel-Iran by abruptly announcing a ceasefire? Even as both nations traded missiles, Trump unilaterally declared a truce between Israel and Iran, a move that not only surprised his own administration, but the sides involved as well.Hours after Trump's announcement, the strikes haven't stopped, highlighting the fragility of the deal.It's no secret that, ever since assuming the presidency, Trump has positioned himself as a "peacemaker and unifier", promising to end the world's hottest conflicts and usher in global peace. His recent remarks show that he firmly has his eyes on the Nobel Peace Prize. advertisement
However, that fixation seems to have led Trump to jump the gun in unilaterally declaring ceasefires in some recent conflicts and claiming credit for it. For example, his assertion about brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire last month laid bare the stark disconnect between his claim and reality.Now, let's see the sequence of events that unfolded in the Israel-Iran conflict.FRAGILE ISRAEL-IRAN CEASEFIRE?The two countries were still firing missiles at each other when Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce an elaborate ceasefire deal."Israel and Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, 'PEACE!' I knew the time was NOW," Trump said as he announced what he described as the end of the "12-day war" between the rival nations.While Qatar also played an important role in mediating with Iran, it was never mentioned by Trump.advertisementHe even put out a timeline. "Officially, Iran will start the ceasefire and, upon the 12th hour, Israel will start the ceasefire and, upon the 24th hour, an official end to THE 12-DAY WAR will be saluted by the World," Trump said.The post caught Iran as well as some of his own top administration officials by surprise. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi swiftly asserted in an X post that no such agreement had been reached. "As of now, there is NO agreement on any ceasefire," Araghchi said.However, three hours later, Iran issued a statement indicating that hostilities from its side were paused. Iran said its military had fought until the "very last minute", indicating the abruptness of the ceasefire deal.Israel also seemed to have a tough time overcoming the sudden and abrupt announcement, which was reflected in it acknowledging the truce deal hours after Trump's post.While agreeing to the deal, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel achieved its objectives, including "removing" the threat of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.EXIT RAMP TO IRANTrump also suggested that the US worked behind the scenes with Iran to give it an exit ramp to veer off the escalation path after the bombing on its nuclear sites.advertisementThe US President thanked Iran for giving "early notice" of its missile strikes on the Al Udeid air base in Qatar - the largest strategic asset of the US military in the Middle East. It signalled that Iran wanted to show its strength, while not escalating the situation."I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," the US President said. "Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their system, and there will, hopefully, be no further hate," he further said.TRUMP AS PEACEMAKER?The ceasefire, if it holds, will to a certain extent dampen the criticism that the US faced when it joined the war and reinforce Trump's portrayal of himself as a peacemaker.A similar abrupt and unilateral announcement by Trump of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan last month was met with fury in New Delhi.Despite India repeating on several occassions that the truce was negotiated directly, Trump continued to take credit on several global forums, alleging that it used the trade bogey to stop a war between two nuclear nations.advertisementEven Prime Minister Narendra Modi's straight talk with Trump, that at no point during Operation Sindoor was trade or mediation discussed with the US, has done little to deter the US President.It has, however, earned Trump a nomination from Pakistan for the Nobel Peace Prize, with Islamabad crediting his "decisive diplomatic intervention" during the hostilities.During his campaign, Trump promised to be a peacemaker. His second term also started in that fashion as his administration secured a long-sought ceasefire in Gaza. However, it fell apart in weeks. The US has also made little progress toward a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.- EndsTune InMust Watch