Trump's 'TACO' Reputation Endures Amid Iran Crisis Ceasefire Chaos
Donald Trump has once again steered the world to the edge of catastrophe, only to retreat at the last moment, deferring a potential apocalypse by two weeks. Today's tumultuous events have done little to tarnish his embarrasing 'TACO' moniker, an acronym for 'Trump Always Chickens Out', which has clung to him since its inception during a past tariff debacle.
In a stunning reversal, Trump TACO'd over his military confrontation with Iran, agreeing to a temporary ceasefire that pushes his own dire deadline further into the future. Announcing the pause in hostilities, Trump referenced a '10-point plan' from Iran, seemingly the same proposal he dismissed just a day earlier as insufficient.
Meanwhile, Iran has consented to permit access to the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, but only under its direct supervision, effectively granting Tehran unprecedented control over a crucial artery of the global economy. The following account details the hour-by-hour unraveling of a day marked by shock, drama, and bewildering brinkmanship.
1.06pm UK Time: Trump's Genocide Threat Sparks Outrage
With merely twelve hours remaining before his 8pm EDT ultimatum, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to issue a stark warning to Iran: 'A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.' This post ignited widespread condemnation, with critics accusing the President of threatening genocide against the Iranian nation.
In the ensuing hours, a cascade of Senators and Members of Congress flooded social media, demanding Trump's removal from office under the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution, which provides for ousting a President deemed mentally or physically unfit. Concurrently, US forces launched an assault on Kharg Island, a pivotal component of Iran's oil infrastructure.
8.17pm UK Time: Pakistan Proposes a Two-Week Ceasefire
Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, appealed to Trump to accept a fortnight-long ceasefire, allowing peace negotiations to advance while Iran temporarily reopens the Strait of Hormuz. In a public message, Sharif emphasized that diplomatic efforts were 'progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future.'
He earnestly requested an extension of the deadline, adding that Pakistan 'in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open the Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture.' An early draft of the tweet, accidentally posted and labeled 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X', fueled suspicions that the proposal might have been coordinated with another nation.
11.32pm UK Time: Trump Backs Down and Agrees to Ceasefire
Trump capitulated, agreeing to a two-week ceasefire to facilitate ongoing talks. In a Truth Social post, he cited a '10-point plan' from Iran, describing it as a 'workable basis on which to negotiate.' It remains ambiguous whether this plan differs from the one Iran presented previously, which Trump had labeled a 'significant step' yet 'not good enough.'
Trump stipulated that any ceasefire would depend on Iran ensuring safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. He wrote, '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.'
He further asserted that military objectives had been 'met and exceeded', and progress was being made toward a 'definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.' Shortly thereafter, Israel confirmed its compliance with the ceasefire.
12.25am UK Time: Iran Claims Victory with Strait Control
Iran's foreign minister, Syed Abbas Araghchi, issued a statement effectively declaring victory, stating that the US had 'accepted the framework' of their 10-point proposal. He announced, 'If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.'
This declaration implies that Iran will exercise complete control over the Strait for the ceasefire's duration, a level of authority it lacked prior to the conflict. Notably, no such 'technical limitations' existed before the war, with hundreds of vessels traversing the waterway daily.
