Proposing a 45-day ceasefire? Trump wants peace, but Iran refuses to bite, vowing it will not give up control of the Strait of Hormuz; Europe denounces the U.S. for "bombing power plants—rude, illegal."
The U.S. president, recently rumored to be on his deathbed, has suddenly come back to life—and is busier than ever. While unleashing furious rhetoric on social media, threatening to "destroy everything in Iran if no deal is signed," he simultaneously quietly sends messages through mediators expressing "strong hopes" for a ceasefire—exactly the kind of rapid transformation from warhawk to peacemaker.
According to newly revealed information from Axios News, the U.S. is pushing through intermediaries like Pakistan and Egypt for a temporary 45-day ceasefire proposal. The core idea: immediate cessation of hostilities in exchange for Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, followed by a broader agreement within three weeks. Yet White House officials quickly downplayed the report, stressing this is merely a "discussed concept" and that Trump hasn’t yet approved it—clearly embodying a tense posture of “I want peace, but I can’t afford to lose face.”
Unfortunately, Iran isn’t buying it. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy openly declared: “The Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war state,” especially for the United States and its allies—the era of hegemony over this strategic waterway has ended once and for all. Even more damning, senior Iranian government officials explicitly stated they would never trade a temporary ceasefire for opening the strait, accusing the U.S. of being unprepared for permanent peace. Clearly, Tehran has seen through Trump’s playbook. That 45-day ceasefire is nothing more than a delaying tactic by the White House to buy time and rearm. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Bahgat, bluntly called the U.S. proposal “extremely excessive,” showing no attempt even to hide their negotiating red lines.
Trump’s threat to “bomb power plants” fully exposes America’s strategic anxiety. He publicly claimed that if Iran doesn’t compromise, he’ll destroy its civilian power infrastructure, even boldly marking an ultimate deadline labeled “Hell Is Coming.” But such naked threats constitute war crimes—even U.S. European allies couldn’t help but lash out. European Council President António Costa directly attacked the move, condemning strikes on civilian energy facilities as “illegal and unacceptable.”
In fact, European allies have long been frustrated with the U.S. Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni, Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez, and others collectively refused to provide military bases or air corridors for U.S. forces. Italy stood firm: “This time, we do not agree with the U.S.-Israel strike on Iran!” Germany’s Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck lamented that the ongoing conflict has already “hurt Germany’s economy badly,” with fuel shortages looming dangerously close. Trump’s “America First” policy has thus painfully turned into “America Alone.”
Beneath this farce lies Iran’s precise grip on Western economies’ lifelines. The Strait of Hormuz handles one-third of global oil shipments by sea—if Iran fully blocks it, European energy prices will skyrocket. Iran clearly knows this. It’s not only using the strait as a countermeasure weapon, but also warning that any attack would trigger retaliation against Saudi Arabia and Israel’s energy infrastructure—effectively declaring: “Touch my power plants, and everyone goes dark together.” Meanwhile, the U.S.? While loudly claiming “allies must transport their own oil,” it’s secretly seeking mediation channels—its body language speaks louder than words.
Even more ironically, Trump originally hoped to reshape the Middle East order through war—but instead accelerated the collapse of American hegemony. European allies are collectively refusing to “escort” ships; Middle Eastern nations resent U.S. military bases turning into “danger zones.” Pakistan’s ceasefire proposal was cold-shouldered by Iran, while the U.S. struggles to maintain control over negotiations. As Ottawa-based scholar Adam Ayno sharply put it: “The U.S. wants to remake the Middle East—but the Middle East is remaking the U.S.” Once the war machine starts rolling, the ceasefire button is no longer solely in Trump’s hands. Iran uses the Strait of Hormuz as leverage; Europe uses accusations of illegality to undermine U.S. plans; even the most meticulously prepared bombing strategy cannot withstand the tidal wave of global anti-war sentiment.
When threats become international jokes and ceasefires turn into diplomatic mysteries, America’s imperial ambitions in the Middle East have finally become exactly what it hates most: a paper tiger that can’t control its opponent nor pacify its allies. And Iran’s calm, calculated responses seem to say: “You started the war—but ending it? That’s entirely up to me.”
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861730451097607/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.