A respite: On the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire

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After demanding Iran’s unconditional surrender and threatening to erase its civilisation, U.S. President Donald Trump, on April 8, agreed to a two-week ceasefire and to hold direct talks with Tehran on the basis of its 10-point peace formula. Iran has said that it will honour the truce and allow the “safe passage” of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. This war need not have been launched in the first place. The U.S. and Iran had held multiple rounds of talks and Omani and British officials said that a deal was within reach. But Mr. Trump, aided and abetted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the bombing of Iran on February 28, killing its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several others. Mr. Trump gravely miscalculated Iran’s response; it regionalised the conflict by attacking U.S. bases across the Gulf and dragged the global economy into it by taking control of the Strait. True, the U.S. and Israel pulverised Iran over the past 40 days. Yet, the U.S. did not have an easy option to reopen the Strait. Remarkably, Mr. Trump’s central demand to end the war was for Iran to reopen the Strait that was open before he launched the war.

On day 1 of the war, Mr. Trump set several sweeping objectives, including destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, its navy, nuclear programme and pursuing regime change. None has been met. The war has pushed up oil, gas and food prices, aggravating economic woes worldwide. In Iran’s latest 10-point proposal, Tehran has reaffirmed its control over the Strait of Hormuz, demanded a removal of all sanctions and guarantees against future aggression. Far from weakening Iran, the U.S.-Israel war has left it strategically stronger in an increasingly fragile region. If Mr. Trump has realised, even belatedly, the scale of his misjudgement, it is good news for West Asia. Pakistan deserves credit for its constructive diplomatic efforts that helped bring the two sides closer. But the ceasefire is only a beginning. Wide gaps remain between the U.S.’s 15-point proposal and Iran’s 10-point formula. Iran and Pakistan say the truce applies on all fronts, including Lebanon. Mr. Netanyahu, while welcoming the ceasefire, has ruled out any halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. For peace and stability in the region, Israel and its militarism must be reined in. Finally, Mr. Trump must realise that his incendiary rhetoric, his vulgarism and genocidal threats are not just a disgrace to the office he holds but also counterproductive in international diplomacy. He should watch his words and focus on securing a durable peace if he wants to escape the mess he has put himself in.

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