Trump’s ceasefire with Iran is tested as world anxiously watches

Trump has also continued to target NATO, as the alliance’s leader tries to keep Washington in his corner.

A woman holds a poster mocking U.S. President Donald Trump during a Thursday rally in Tehran. | AFP via Getty Images

Less than two days after President Donald Trump announced a deal to temporarily pause hostilities in Iran, the fragile ceasefire is teetering on uncertain ground as tensions in the U.S. and the Middle East threaten to send the conflict back into full-out war.

Global pressures have flared since Trump’s Tuesday evening announcement, particularly as Israel continued to launch strikes in Lebanon on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Thursday morning that the country continued to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon “with force, precision and determination,” with the offensive prompting outrage from the Iranians and even condemnation from some European leaders.

U.S. allies called for deescalation, with Egypt’s and France’s foreign ministers stressing “the utmost priority of halting Israeli attacks on Lebanon and achieving de-escalation at this critical juncture in the Middle East” during a Thursday call, according to an Egyptian readout of the meeting.

© Politico