Both US and Iran claim victory after two-week ceasefire deal reached

By: Abudu Olalekan

It went right down to the wire Tuesday night. Last-minute calls, back channels, the usual chaos.

President Donald Trump was first out, calling it a “complete and total victory” for America on Truth Social. Minutes later, Tehran’s state TV ran the opposite banner — Iran forced Washington to blink. Both sides is claiming win. Classic.

Two weeks. That’s all we got. A pause, not peace. But it stops a spiraling conflict that have upended the global economy and sparked what energy traders are already calling a historic oil crisis. Tanker insurance went through the roof last week. Now, at least, a breather.

The Strait of Hormuz was the dealbreaker.

Trump said reopening it were a key condition — non-negotiable. Iran’s foreign minister confirmed their military will “coordinate” passage of vessels through the strait during the ceasefire. Coordinate. Not guarantee. Notice the difference.

What happens next? Pakistan stepped in.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed the two-week window earlier Tuesday “to allow for diplomacy.” Now he’s invited both US and Iranian delegations to Islamabad for talks on Friday. Neutral turf. Smart move, honestly.

One big caveat though — Lebanon is not included.

Israel says it will suspend strikes against Iran itself, but operations linked to Lebanon continue. That came straight from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, and his people was pretty blunt: the northern front is separate.

I’ve covered these kind of truces before. They hold until somebody needs a domestic headline. For now, tankers can move again, Brent slipped about 4% overnight, and diplomats finally have a table to sit at.

Two weeks to talk. After that? We’ll see.