Trump Takes Credit for the Cease-fire
On June 24, Trump posted on his own platform, Truth Social, that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ‘complete and total cease-fire’.
Following his announcement, the Iranian people felt a sense of ‘national unity’ and took to the streets, celebrating the end of the 12 day war.
Seeing the notification pop up on my phone, I was also relieved for the Iranians who had suffered tremendously and grateful that the conflict had finally de-escalated.
Cease-fire Troubles
Although the cease-fire seems calm today, within hours of the announcement, both countries accused each other of violating the agreement.
Israel claimed that they intercepted two missiles from Iran, which Iran denied launching. Israel retaliated and Trump was enraged, angered by the breakdown of the cease-fire.
The president condemned both sides for violating the truce, but his criticisms of Israel were harsh. Trump responded that the nations have fought “so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*ck they’re doing”.
After having a stern conversation with Israel’s Prime Minister, Iran has since not received any further attacks on Tehran.
Will the Cease-fire Hold?
Israel and Iran have a poor track record when it comes to maintaining peace.
Cease-fire failures are common in today’s conflicts, including between Israel and Gaza. Israel and Gaza have attempted several cease-fires, pushed by the UN, Qatar and Egypt, but fighting often resumes within hours.
Additionally, Israel hasn’t achieved their goal of eliminating Iran’s nuclear program.
In my last blog post, I mentioned that the damage to Iran’s nuclear sites remained unclear due to the short timeframe.
An initial U.S. military report was leaked and demonstrated that the damage to Iran’s nuclear program was minimal, only setting Iran’s nuclear program back a “couple months”.
The Trump administration was infuriated with the leak of the U.S intelligence report, with Trump insisting that they had ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program.
Following the leaked report, CIA’s director, John Radcliffe, announced that they had found credible intelligence that Iran’s nuclear sites experienced significant damage and would “take years to rebuild”.
Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) has supported this claim, stating that the site’s critical infrastructure has been destroyed.
Later the same day, Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) said the “devastating” strike “destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure“.
Food for Thought
Like most people, I’m relieved that the two countries have maintained peace over the past week so far.
However, I think until a full assessment is complete, it’s still uncertain whether the countries will choose diplomacy or violence.
According to multiple sources, the final U.S. military assessment may take weeks to complete. So until then, we don’t know exactly how much damage was caused to Iran’s nuclear sites.
Israel has committed to maintaining the truce, so this raises the question: is diplomacy truly possible between Gaza and Israel?
A Glimpse of Hope for Palestine
Now that the Israel and Iran conflict has come to a halt, nations are urging for significant progress in relation to Gaza and Israel.
There has been immense pressure on Israel’s president to create change and try to end this ongoing conflict.
If crucial decision-making is negotiated carefully, there is a possibility for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza. Despite continued violence in Gaza over the past couple of days, there has been hope for a possible truce.
A source told Newsweek that Trump has made significant efforts to convince Israel to commence a cease-fire with Iran.
This new cease-fire proposal consists of handing over 10 Israeli hostages, along with 18 deceased hostages in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and 180 bodies currently in custody.
According to Israel Hayom, President Netanyahu and Trump have been in talks, strategically planning how to end this horrific war.
They have planned for the Gaza conflict to end in the coming weeks and have once again revived the ‘two state’ solution. (This source is unlikely to be trustworthy, as it’s only based on a “source familiar with the discussion’s substance”.)
Even so, a cease-fire between Israel and Palestine and instating the ‘two state’ concept is (in my opinion) unlikely. Since 1947, the ‘two state’ solution has been proposed several times and has been rejected, failing to be implemented.
Wrap-up
The cease-fire is a relief to many, but history reminds us to stay cautious. With Israel and Iran’s past truces falling apart and Israel’s key goal in eliminating Iran’s nuclear program remains unfulfilled, lasting peace remains uncertain.
Pressure is also building for a Gaza cease-fire and apparently, Trump and Netanyahu are discussing potential solutions. In the coming weeks, we’ll see if real progress is made or violence continues.
Image: US President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP)
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