WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The White House considered but decided against a national televised address by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday about his ceasefire deal with Iran, with some aides and advisers privately voicing concern about potentially overselling the still-nascent agreement, three US officials told Reuters.

The decision suggests a balancing act by the Trump administration, which sought to project early confidence in the deal to pause fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz even as aides recognized its fragility. Discussions about Trump giving a national address have not been previously reported.

Ahead of talks slated to begin on Saturday in Islamabad, analysts say it is far from clear if the ceasefire will translate into a negotiated settlement to the conflict.

The sources said Trump was talked out of making the speech. But the White House, in a statement, denied the discussions rose to Trump’s level, saying, “This is fake news. This was never even discussed with the president.”

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.

Trump ended up announcing the ceasefire in a social media post just hours before a Tuesday evening deadline, after which he had threatened to destroy Iran’s entire civilization.

The reversal was one of the most sudden wartime U-turns by an American president.

One of the sources said Trump was “adamant” about delivering the address. The officials said it had been under consideration, but the White House did not move forward with it because details of the ceasefire were still shaky.

Trump’s senior advisers were working through what was in the deal and did not think they had........

© The Times of Israel