The Wishy-Washy Ceasefire
by Steven Shamrak
Before Israel attacked Iran's nuclear sites, the US intelligence had reportedly predicted Iran could have been as little as three months away from developing a nuclear bomb.
When Israel’s war on Iran appeared to be approaching a pivotal moment, President Donald Trump demanded “Unconditional Surrender” from Tehran and weighed his military options. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.” Less than 48 hours later, Trump took to his social media platform to announce that a “Complete and Total Ceasefire” had been achieved.
After Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire, Iran launched a strike on Israel. However, Israel was not allowed to reply!
The US President Donald Trump said he would likely seek a commitment from Iran to end its nuclear ambitions. Not long after Trump’s announcement, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that Iran wouldn’t surrender. Iran declared that there is no agreement even to have a talk about a ceasefire!
After twisting arms, possible political and military blackmail of both Israel and Iran, Trump said: “I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran, either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the F-- they’re doing.”
“This is a war that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t and never will!” Trump declared in a social media post announcing the ceasefire. There was no evidence that any country in the Middle East, and even Iran's proxies were not interested to participate in the conflict!
Trump claims Iran’s nuclear capabilities were ‘obliterated’ despite the UN watchdog comments and the US Defence Intelligence Agency assessment that the attack did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by a few months, not years. The Kremlin said that it was too early for anyone to have a realistic picture of damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear facilities by US airstrikes.
Donald Trump hit back at a leaked intelligence report, but did not provide any proof of the airstrike success. Trump’s declaration that Iran would abandon its nuclear ambitions and its dream of destroying the State of Israel was premature. Trump said the US will hold talks with Iran, with a possible agreement on the table about ending Tehran’s nuclear programme - the idea which Iran has already been rejected. In the past Iran participated in protracted fake negotiations to facilitate advance of its nuclear program.
The IAEA has pushed for a resumption of its relationship with Iran. Iran is still a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), an agreement designed to monitor and prevent the global spread of nuclear weapons. Iran has already said it plans to withdraw from the NPT, aimed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons globally, and to stop cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Almost immediately, Iran’s parliament voted to suspend the country’s cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Despite the declaration of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, there is no real agreement. The 'negotiation game’ will be 'played' until Iran restores its nuclear program. We're now "moving into a true danger zone" again. Iran is likely to speed up its nuclear program. President Trump should allow Israel to finish the job, and let Iranian people remove Islamic tyranny!