April 10, 2026
Trump has chickened out from his threat of committing a genocide in Iran by agreeing to a ceasefire based on Iran's 10 point declaration.
The war isn't over.
Israel will do its best to sabotage the ceasefire by all means.
If Trump really wants to stop losing the war he had started on advice of Netanyahoo ( archived) he will have to throw him under a bus.
The Secretary for War Crimes Pete Hegseth and others who had urged for the war will be made scapegoats for this defeat.
An attempt to tick-tock what happened:
Minutes before the launch of the genocide he had threatened Trump chickened out.
Arash Azisi: Direct talks between Ghalibaf and Vance in the last few hours made the ceasefire agreement possible - sources in Tehran tell me.
At 23:50 UTC the Foreign Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif announced a ceasefire:
With the greatest humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
I warmly welcome the sagacious gesture and extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes....
The original statement was probably written by someone else.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a Statement on behalf of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Trump conceded defeat:
Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE ! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated. On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution. Thank you for your attention to this matter ! President DONALD J. TRUMP
(TS: 07 Apr 18:32 ET)
The full statement by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran - PressTV write up.
Iran's position has slightly softened. The 10 points Iran issued yesterday are slightly different from the 10 points now mentioned in the PressTV piece (Lebanon is now missing(?!) but lifting of ALL sanctions against Iran) (There also seem to be differences on enrichment in the Farsi and English versions of the latest 10 points issued.)
Nevertheless:
Poète dubitatif @evil_SDOC - 23:56 UTC · Apr 7, 2026
If this is it really, Trump will have saved face at a cost of strategic defeat to the US, because negotiations based on the Iranians' 10 points, together with interim Iranian control of Hormuz for the duration of the cease fire definitely means Iran has won.
White House press statement:
This is a victory for the United States that President Trump and our incredible military made happen.
From the very beginning of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump estimated this would be a 4-6 week operation.
Thanks to the unbelievable capabilities of our warriors, we have achieved and exceeded our core military objectives in 38 days.
More on that tomorrow morning from @SecWar and Chairman Caine!
The success of our military created maximum leverage, allowing President Trump and the team to engage in tough negotiations that have now created an opening for a diplomatic solution and long-term peace.
Additionally, President Trump got the Strait of Hormuz reopened.
Never underestimate President Trump's ability to successfully advance America's interests and broker peace.
Sarcastic comment by AmCon's Andrew Day:
The Strait of Hormuz was closed for 47 years by the Mad Mullahs of Iran. But tonight, Donald Trump opened it.
As very positive sign Trump reposted Araghchi's statement on his Truth Social account.
Trump's victory statement:
...Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We'll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just "hangin' around" in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will. Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!!
Netanyahoo falsely claims that the ceasefire "does not include Lebanon".
The opposition leader in Israel is furious about this defeat.
Various comments:
Mark Ames:
Trump's insanely stupid & evil war ends in perhaps the most humiliating defeat in US history....
The US didn't agree to a ceasefire but acquiesced to a new balance of power....
The U.S. acceptance of the Iranian proposal as a basis for negotiation is a *huge* concession. There is nothing about Iran's nuclear program in there and it includes a toll for the Strait.
Obviously this is a starting point, not an end point, but it is unlikely the U.S. will achieve any of its strategic goals-which is the price we must pay, I guess, for absolutely terrible and horrific policy.
my uninformed opinion is that usa/allies denying overflight/refueling to israeli planes is the key behind the scenes condition for iran agreeing to the ceasefire. iiuc israel still lacks the ability to strike iran without these facilities. if Trump genuinely wants to wind this thing down, Netanyahu will have to resort to some other provocation to try to keep the war going. IMO.
Listen, it is indeed striking that Trump describes Iran's ten-point proposal as a "workable basis" for talks, but stipulating that at the start does not bind you to anything at the end
If America walks in and says it wants to change "right to continued enrichment" to "zero enrichment", then we're right back where we were in February
Side note:
The war has (so far) lasted 40 days. That limit has religious importance in Judaism and Islam.
PS: Latest Iran Lego Movie: TACO Tuesday - How to defeat a hegemon
Reprinted with permission from Moon of Alabama.