Trump’s Ceasefire With Iran Is Tested As World Anxiously Watches

Less than two days after President Donald Trump announced a deal to temporarily pause hostilities in Iran, the fragile ceasefire is teetering on uncertain ground as tensions in the U.S. and the Middle East threaten to send the conflict back into full-out war.

Global pressures have flared since Trump’s Tuesday evening announcement, particularly as Israel continued to launch strikes in Lebanon on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Thursday morning that the country continued to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon “with force, precision and determination,” with the offensive prompting outrage from the Iranians and even condemnation from some European leaders.

U.S. allies called for deescalation, with Egypt’s and France’s foreign ministers stressing “the utmost priority of halting Israeli attacks on Lebanon and achieving de-escalation at this critical juncture in the Middle East” during a Thursday call, according to an Egyptian readout of the meeting.

Egypt's foreign minister also spoke with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, stressing the Lebanon strike "undermines all regional and international efforts aimed at achieving the intended de-escalation."

But by Thursday afternoon, the parties appeared to have made at least some progress — at the U.S.’s urging — with Netanyahu writing in a statement that he instructed his administration to begin negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible.” But he stressed in a later statement that there is “no ceasefire in Lebanon” and that “we are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.”

A person familiar with the matter, granted anonymity to discuss ongoing talks, said the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the U.S. are expected to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa at the State Department next week.

“The U.S. is the only country that can force Israel to do anything on Lebanon,” an administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly told POLITICO. “And the U.S. probably got here after yesterday and the global outcry."

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Trump told NBC News in an interview Thursday that he was “very optimistic” a peace deal was possible.

Iran leaders “talk much differently when you’re at a meeting than they do to the press. They’re much more reasonable,” he said.

“If they don’t make a deal, it’s going to be very painful,” he added.

Iran, meanwhile, has continued to ratchet up the pressure on Israel: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi referenced Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial — which is set to resume Sunday — in a Thursday social media post, writing: “A region-wide ceasefire, incl in Lebanon, would hasten his jailing.”

“If the U S. wishes to crater its economy by letting Netanyahu kill diplomacy, that would ultimately be its choice. We think that would be dumb but are prepared for it,” he added.

The White House announced Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance, alongside Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, would head to Pakistan this weekend for mediated talks with Iran.

Trump’s announcement that the U.S. and Iran had reached a deal to suspend fighting for two weeks subject to Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz came just hours after he threatened to wipe out “a whole civilization,” sparking sharp rebukes and calls for his removal from Democrats.

The White House insisted in the wake of the deal that Israel had agreed to its terms — but Israel continued its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon even after Trump’s announcement, and Iran continued targeting countries across the Middle East, including Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Israel and the Trump administration both said that an end to the Israeli strikes in Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire agreement.

Trump, meanwhile, continued his saber-rattling on social media late into the night Wednesday, writing that all U.S. military personnel and equipment would remain in the region “until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied.” Otherwise, he said, the U.S. would resume — and even escalate — attacks on the country.

The president also continued to voice his displeasure with NATO, writing in a separate post: “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened to abandon the alliance over its reticence to assist the U.S. in its war against Iran, with several U.S. allies expressing frustration with Trump’s failure to consult with partners before launching the war and confusion over the White House’s messaging.

Trump’s Wednesday meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House “went shit,” one European official told POLITICO, describing the conversation as “nothing but a tirade of insults.”

Rutte defended the alliance after what he referred to as a “frank” meeting with Trump, saying in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington on Thursday that NATO countries “had to scramble” to react after the invasion.

And in Washington, Democrats continue to pressure the Trump administration over the war. A Democratic effort to call for a war powers vote in the House during a pro forma session on Thursday failed.

But party leaders in both chambers said they expected to continue to push for votes, and some Republicans are signaling an openness to joining Democrats if the war continues to drag on.