The April 8, 2026, announcement by Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif was unambiguous: "I am pleased to announce that Iran and the US, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY."
As a primary party to this ceasefire, the American regime bears full responsibility for the subsequent violations, both through its direct actions against Iran and its failure to restrain its ally’s bombardment of Southern Lebanon and Beirut. In fact; from day one, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington shrieked over Lebanon, and Trump gave way to it ever since.
Trump himself facilitated the current escalation by protracting the process of talks, continuously setting the bar impossibly high, and disrupting the balance—despite the mediators' relentless efforts. This foot-dragging provided the space for Netanyahu to sabotage a possible off-ramp—a fact underscored by the deliberate bombing of Beirut at the exact moment the Pakistani Minister of Interior arrived in Tehran with a message for the Supreme Leader.
Now Trump claims that he is not—or does not want to be—part of the Israeli regime's attacks on Iran, which seems doubtful, as direct Israeli airstrikes are operationally and geographically impossible without U.S. support.
Even if Trump truly wants to save a possible deal, as he claims, one thing remains certain: Netanyahu will continue to impose his own agenda and drag Trump along, moving him further and further away from a potential deal.
Ultimately, Trump's self-destructive, maximalist appetite has turned every scenario into a tremendous rebuke for him.