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The Iran ceasefire was a TACO Tuesday, and thank goodness

Trump gets to act like his bloodcurdling threats worked, but he’s giving up far more than Tehran did.

By MAX BOOT

Washington Post
April 8, 2026

Tuesday was one of the more bizarre days in U.S. diplomatic history. It began with President Donald Trump warning that, should Iran not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, “a whole civilization will die tonight.” It ended with Trump proclaiming a two-week ceasefire and opening negotiations with Iran based on Tehran’s “10 point proposal.” There is rampant confusion about what those 10 points are, but the version released by Tehran calls for, among other things, Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. military withdrawal from the region and acceptance of Iran’s right to pursue nuclear enrichment — all conditions that should be utterly unacceptable to any U.S. administration.

It’s far from clear exactly what happened and what the consequences will be. On Wednesday, Iran threatened to withdraw from the agreement if Israel did not stop its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. But, even if the ceasefire holds, it’s impossible to take seriously the claims of Trump supporters that his “madman” act delivered a U.S. victory in the five-week war.