BBC Correspondent Gives Reality Check To Donald Trump Post Iran Ceasefire

A BBC correspondent has delivered a reality check to Donald Trump just hours after the US president announced a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war.

The US president confirmed a suspension of hostilities shortly before the deadline he had given Tehran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply is transported.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said it was “a big day for world peace”.

“Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough,” the president declared.

The breakthrough came less than 24 hours after Trump had warned that “a civilisation will die tonight” unless the Iranian regime agreed to end the war.

However, it remains unclear whether Iran will now be able to control what traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz, an advantage they did not enjoy before the war started.

On Radio 4′s Today programme, BBC US correspondent David Willis pointed out that Trump appeared to have achieved none of the objectives he had sought when the war began at the end of February.

They included the destruction of Iran’s nuclear capability and the overthrow of the country’s Islamic regime.

He said: “Despite this ceasefire, the fundamental differences with Iran remain and they are perhaps sharper than when the conflict began five weeks ago.

“Iran’s nuclear stockpile remains in place, the theocratic government which President Trump urged people to overthrow is there too, albeit under a different management, and four weeks after he demanded their unconditional surrender, the president is about to negotiate with that same government.

“Against that backdrop, he now faces the challenge of reaching a more permanent settlement within the space of the next two weeks. In comparison, it took the Obama administration two-and-a-half years to negotiate the 2015 nuclear accord – that’s the one that Donald Trump withdrew from.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it would negotiate with the US in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, starting on Friday.

But while accepting a ceasefire, it said in a statement: “It is emphasised that this does not signify the termination of the war.

“Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.