When the United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump sent U.S.bombers last weekend to strike Iranian nuclear sites, he was convinced he could help Israel “cripple” Tehran’s nuclear program while at the same time avoiding U.S. involvement in a long-lasting war with Iran.
Just a few days later, Trump’s sudden announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran suggests that the bombing brought Tehran back to the negotiating table.
However, a long list of unanswered questions remains. Can the truce between two bitter enemies whose long-standing “conflict” has turned into an air war be maintained?
Also still unknown and unmentioned in Trump’s explosive social media announcement declaring an almost “total and absolute truce” are the conditions the two sides agreed on. It is unclear whether the U.S. and Iran will revive the failed nuclear talks, as well as the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, which many experts believe may have survived the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign.
“The U.S. hopes this is the beginning of the end. However, the question remains whether there is a strategy for what comes next,” claims Jonathan Panikoff, former deputy U.S. national intelligence officer for the Middle East.
Questions also remain about what exactly was agreed upon, even as Trump’s declaration has raised hopes of ending the conflict that has sparked fears of a wider regional war.
There was no immediate confirmation from Israel about the ceasefire agreement, and the Israeli military stated that it had detected rockets launched from Iran toward Israel in the early morning hours. Four people were killed in a rocket attack on a building in Be’er Sheva, the Israeli emergency service reported.
Shortly after that, Trump said that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran is “now in effect” and called on both countries not to violate it.
While an Iranian official earlier confirmed that Tehran had accepted the truce, the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there would be no cessation of hostilities until Israel halts its attacks.
But that did not stop Trump and his loyalists from emphasizing what they consider a landmark achievement of the foreign policy approach they call “peace through strength.”
Trump supported Israel’s assessment that Iran is nearing the development of nuclear weapons, which Tehran has long denied. U.S. intelligence agencies earlier this year stated they assessed that Iran is not building nuclear weapons, and a source with access to U.S. intelligence said last week that this assessment has not changed.
Trump called for talks with Israel and Iran, and a senior White House official said that Israel agreed to the ceasefire as long as Iran does not launch new attacks. Iran has signaled that there will be no further attacks, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Trump spoke directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were involved in direct and indirect communication with Iran, the official said. Qatar also helped mediate contact with the Iranians.
“Now that Trump has declared ‘world peace,’ it will be difficult for Netanyahu to publicly contradict him,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East expert in Washington, Klix.ba writes.
