“Operation Epic Fury,” better known as the Iran war, started in the early hours of Feb. 28, when a joint strike force of the United States and Israel launched a preemptive strike on targets across the nation of Iran.
Between April 7-8, the United States, Israel and Iran declared a two-week ceasefire. Included in the proposed terms of peace is an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to restabilise global oil trade after the outbreak of the conflict sent the markets of countries from Australia to Cuba into panic.
Some other points on the agenda include the end of Iranian nuclear research, relief from US imposed sanctions, the end to Israel’s military incursion into Lebanon and and the disarmament of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) terror groups.
The talks for prolonged peace began Friday, April 10, in the capital of Pakistan– Islamabad– which holds healthy relationships with both parties to the conflict, according to top Pakistani officials. The Pakistani are optimistic about a deal, as noted by their state media.
This announcement came less than a day after the morning of April 7 when President Trump took to Truth Social to share the message:
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
The message ignited a media firestorm, where many commentators were left not knowing how to feel. Many from across the aisle condemned the President’s words, some even sharing that congress should impeach Trump for a third time. Rep. Seth Moulton, the democratic representative from Massachusetts, took to X to share that, “Temporary ceasefire or not, Trump already committed an impeachable offense,” furthermore calling on his fellow congressmen to get back to work.
Trump is again having his pro-war support fracture under the pressures of this peace deal. Many have taken to traditional forms of protest and social media to echo the idea that stopping the war at this point strengthens the short term position of the Iranian government.
Jessica Genauer, an expert in public policy from the United Kingdom, told Reuters that this is only a pause in hostilities. Other critiques are calling attention to the president’s lack of sticking to a set of war goals, namely regime change as stated by figures like Elica Lebon, an Iranian-American activist.
These developments only come days after the daring rescue of two US fighter pilots shot down over the skies of Iran on Friday, April 3. Both men, yet to be identified to the public, are members of the 494th Fighter Squadron. The first of the two rescues occurred only hours after the F-15E was shot down and few other details are known other than the CIA deployed experimental technology in this rescue.
The second pilot (the weapons system officer) followed Airforce protocol by fleeing into the mountains near the crash site, where he spent 36 continuous hours climbing deeper and higher into the mountains before being located. In order to escape IRGC patrols, who launched a nationwide manhunt for the airmen.
The second airmen was secured over 45 hours after the initial crash due to the US needing to call in lightweight helicopters better suited to take land and take off in the southern Iranian terrain. As stated by the Department of War (formerly the Department of Defence). No American lives were lost in the rescue operation.
