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On June 23, President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the “12-Day War” between Israel and Iran. The world took a breath, and what some saw as the kindling for World War III was extinguished. However, saying there’s a ceasefire and actually getting one can be two different things. Within hours of the time for ceasing hostilities, both Iran and Israel accused each other of breaking the agreement. This did not sit well with the commander-in-chief.

In an interview on Fox News with unusually fortuitous timing, Vice President JD Vance, fresh from the White House, confirmed the news of the pause in hostilities with some background on how it came to pass. As Liberty Nation News Editor-in-Chief Mark Angelides explained, “And yet, as is often the case in Middle East conflicts, ambiguity remains, and a deal is never done until it’s done … As the tentative ceasefire began on Tuesday morning [midnight EDT], Israel says it intercepted two missiles from Iran.” Angelides observed the consequences of breaking the ceasefire, reporting, “And then, to throw more fuel on the fire, it seems Israel took the window of opportunity to deal some final blows, angering the president.”

The ceasefire looked close to failure. In a phone call to Netanyahu, Trump expressed his frustration. “Israel was reportedly planning to strike 15 ‘important regime targets’ in response to Iran’s violation of the fresh ceasefire with missile fire at the north this morning, before President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to carry out the attack,” The Times of Israel claimed, but the prime minister ordered Israeli fighter aircraft over Iran to return to their bases.

“The nascent truce came hours after President Trump lashed out at both countries for launching attacks after he had announced an end to their brief war,” The New York Times observed. Nonetheless, by Tuesday (June 24) afternoon, the ceasefire was holding, and Israel lifted all restrictions on its citizens meeting and gathering in crowds.

Being the intermediary between warring factions is never an easy job. With two countries like Israel and Iran, where the enmity is deep, bringing the belligerents together is especially difficult. At the same time, Trump is a force of nature that will not be denied. This is the time for the Tehran leadership to take the olive branch the president has offered and abandon developing nuclear weapons, sponsoring global terrorism, and sowing hate in the region. Now is an opportunity to be part of the peace solution.

The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.