The Peace President and his Secretary of War: Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth.Image: keystone
analysis
The American president is already celebrating himself as the victor in the Iran war. However, the regime in Tehran is confidently entering the upcoming talks – also because many questions are still unanswered.
04/09/2026, 06:1904/09/2026, 06:19
Renzo Ruf, Washington
Pete Hegseth had to wait a long time for this moment. But on Wednesday the time had finally come. The American Secretary of Defense, who now calls himself Secretary of War, was able to announce the temporary end of hostilities in the Iran War. The armed forces had achieved a “historic and overwhelming victory,” said the visibly proud former television presenter at the Pentagon. All goals that the military had set for themselves had been achieved. The Iranian regime will no longer be able to play a destructive role in the Middle East “for years to come.”
Pete Hegseth also believes in an “overwhelming” US victoryImage: keystone
And of course Hegseth — slicked hair, tight-fitting suit, gruff demeanor — couldn’t resist putting this result in religious terms. “God deserves all the glory,” he said.
“Tens of thousands of airstrikes carried out under the protection of Divine Providence.”
Hegseth also dutifully thanked the secular leader who was responsible for the victory over Iran: the “president of peace,” the self-proclaimed president of peace.
In fact, it was Donald Trump who, in a dramatic about-face, agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday evening. How this came about and who actually emerges from this war as the winner – an overview in three chapters.
Chapter 1: The surprising ceasefire
The announcement came out of nowhere. 88 minutes before the expiration of an apocalyptically formulated ultimatum that he had given the regime in Tehran, the American president announced a pause in fighting on Tuesday evening. The threat of bombing Iran back into the Stone Age and destroying “an entire civilization” was thus dismissed.
The deal came about thanks to the mediation of Pakistan and China. The two states recently put pressure on the new leaders in the old Iranian regime. And they found a way in which both warring parties could save face – by Washington and Tehran declaring their respective peace plans, some of which diametrically contradict each other, as the basis for the coming negotiations.
These by no means easy talks could begin this week in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Trump told the New York Post tabloid on Wednesday that he would delegate his negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “very soon”; and if it is possible from a security perspective, then Vice President JD Vance will also be at the negotiating table. His spokeswoman later said that negotiations would begin on Saturday.
However, the prerequisite for the talks to begin is that Iran “completely” ends the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. However, this is questionable after Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon. Iran will continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously announced. And tankers could only pass through the strait if they coordinated the passage with the military.
The Financial Times also reported that the Iranians demanded a fee from ships that had to be paid in cryptocurrency. Trump, in turn, told a journalist that he could imagine that part of this new tariff would flow into Americans’ coffers in the future. Trump said he had in mind a joint venture with the regime in Tehran that would have the task of securing the Strait of Hormuz. “This is something beautiful,” said the American president, who had also fantasized about renaming the strait “Strait of Trump.”
Such statements will raise questions, especially in the Middle East, as to whether the war was even worth it. Before the American-Israeli attacks began on February 28th, the Strait of Hormuz was freely passable. On average, around 130 ships sailed through the strait, enabling the export of oil and gas. Now there are only a handful for now. Iranian state media also reported on Wednesday that the blockade could be resumed in protest against ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Chapter 2: Trump celebrates himself
But the White House doesn’t want to hear about such skeptical comments. Trump himself presented himself as a victorious war strategist on Wednesday. The president used to say in recent days and weeks that he had achieved what his predecessors had been trying to do for 47 years: he had overthrown a regime that had wished death on America and Israel.
What is true is that the personnel who oppressed millions of their own population for years were almost completely eliminated during the war. The Israeli armed forces literally hunted down Iranian leaders. Longtime spiritual leader Ali Khamenei is also dead — and in Trump’s eyes, the United States has avenged the national humiliation of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
But the foundation of the regime has apparently withstood the American-Israeli bombardment over the past almost six weeks. In any case, the hoped-for popular uprising did not take place. And Trump no longer seems to have much interest in a democratic revolution, similar to the Venezuelan case.
People in the Iranian capital Tehran burn the flags of the USA and Israel on Wednesday night.Image: keystone
The situation is similar with the question of Iran’s nuclear program. For Trump, this was the real reason why he allowed himself to be convinced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and gave the order to attack Iran. “Iran will never have a nuclear bomb,” Trump said last week.
The American president is now sticking to this goal. Iran will no longer enrich uranium in the future, he said on Wednesday on his Internet service Truth Social. The relevant storage sites are being monitored with satellites, and Tehran has allegedly already promised to hand over the “nuclear dust” to the Americans. If the American president meant the Iranians’ highly enriched uranium with this unconventional name, then this would actually be a big step.
Chapter 3: Why Iran is self-confident
However, the Iranians’ 10-point plan, which is now to be the subject of peace negotiations, does not include a ban on uranium enrichment. Instead, Tehran insists on an end to American sanctions (both direct and indirect); and apparently Iran also wants American forces to withdraw from the Middle East.
Of course this is a wish list. And it would be wrong to say that Tehran will negotiate from a position of strength — the regime cannot ignore that the US and Israel have managed at a rapid pace to pull the teeth on Iran’s highly equipped armed forces. For elite units like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, this is an embarrassing defeat. The internal power struggles that the war triggered could continue for a long time.
But it is also true that Iranian leaders have more stamina than Trump. As is well known, the American president is extremely impatient. By November at the latest, when his Republican Party suffers the currently predicted defeat in the national parliamentary election, Trump will have to devote more attention to domestic policy again.
The regime in Tehran, on the other hand, can ignore the will of the voters. And focus on strengthening the Revolutionary Guards and arming regional allies. This includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, which will lead to the next conflict with Israel. The corresponding money could flow from the joint venture that Trump has in mind.
This cannot be in the interests of the USA. (aargauerzeitung.ch)