A major mistake by the US and also Israel vis-a-vis the latest war against Iran was in underestimating Iran’s appetite and capability for asymmetric warfare.
Iran may be an inferior power to the US. But it does not have to be in possession of overwhelming military capabilities in order to paralyse and destabilise the Gulf.
There is a temporary truce. The US and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire on Tuesday evening (US time) canceling an ultimatum from Donald Trump for Iran to surrender or face widespread destruction.
Iranians in the capital city of Tehran even celebrated "Iran’s victory" in the American-Zionist-imposed war following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire.
“I’m glad Trump backed off and is desperately searching for any sort of exit ramp from his ridiculous bluster,” Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, said.
Earlier, Schumer called Trump an “extremely sick person” waging a “wanton war of choice”.
Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire agreement came less than two hours before the US president’s self-imposed 8pm Eastern time deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a move that legal scholars, as well as officials from numerous countries and the Pope, had warned could constitute war crimes.
Just hours earlier, Trump had written on Truth Social: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again ....".
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, issued a statement shortly after Trump’s announcement saying Iran had agreed to the ceasefire.“For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordinating with Iran’s Armed Forces,” he wrote.
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| Govt of India cautions Indian citizens |
Pointers of concern
Israel says it detects an incoming Iranian missile barrage despite US, Iran saying 2-week ceasefire reached.
Oil prices plunge and US stock futures jump after Trump pulls back on Iran threats for 2 weeks, pending a ceasefire.
US military has halted all offensive operations against Iran, US official says, but continues defensive actions.
The sudden about-face will allow Trump to step back as the US war in Iran has dragged on for five weeks with little sign that Tehran is ready to surrender or release its hold on the strait of Hormuz.
According to Iranian state media, the proposal includes a number of conditions that the US has in the past rejected, among them controlled transit through the strait of Hormuz coordinated with Iranian armed forces and withdrawal of all US forces from regional bases. The Iranian proposal would also require the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions, payment of full compensation to Iran and release of all frozen Iranian assets.
Iranian state media also said the 10-point plan for securing an end to the war would require Washington to accept its uranium enrichment program.
Poor Diplomacy or a 'forced' role ??
'Draft' tag in Sharif's X post raises questions:
Pakistan's message scripted?
A fresh controversy has erupted around Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after social media users flagged what appears to be an edited post on X, raising questions over how Pakistan is positioning itself in the Iran crisis.
The apparent draft version got leaked out in Pak PM's tweet itself.
It had urged diplomatic progress in the Middle East conflict and called for extending measures linked to the Iran standoff.
The flipflop fuelled online debate, with some questioning whether Pakistan’s diplomatic messaging is influenced by the US.
One widely shared post claimed Sharif “seemingly forgot to remove what looks like a White House instruction,” pointing to the line “Draft - Pakistan’s PM Message on X” in the earlier version.
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