Donald ‘TACO’ Trump walks the world to the brink once more – how Iran disaster unravelled hour-by-hour

Today’s events will do nothing to damage Donald Trump’s “TACO” reputation. The nickname, which stands for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’, has embarrassingly stuck to him since it first emerged over the tariff fiasco

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Donald Trump has – once again – walked the world to the brink of catastrophe, only to back down and punt the crisis two weeks into the future.

Today’s events will do nothing to damage Donald Trump’s “TACO” reputation. The nickname, which stands for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’, has embarrassingly stuck to him since it first emerged over the tariff fiasco.

Tonight, Trump TACO’d over his war in Iran – agreeing to a ceasefire that punts his self-imposed apocalyptic deadline two weeks into the future.

Announcing the ceasefire, Trump referred to a “10-point plan” proposed by Iran – apparently the same plan proposed previously by Iran, and dismissed a day earlier by Trump as “not good enough.”

And while Iran has agreed to allow access to the Strait of Hormuz – they have only done so under their supervision – effectively giving them complete control of a critical element of the global economy.

Here’s how a dramatic, shocking and baffling day of brinksmanship unfolded hour-by-hour.

1.06pm UK (8.06am in Washington DC) – Trump threatens Iran with genocide

With 12 hours to go before his 8pm EDT deadline, Donald Trump posts on Truth Social warning Iran: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

The post sparked widespread criticism and accusations that he was threatening genocide against the nation of Iran. In the hours that followed, a string of Senators and Members of Congress posted online calling for Trump to be removed from office under the US Constitution’s 25th Amendment, which allows a President to be ousted if they are mentally or physically incapacitated.

At the same time, US forces mounted an attack on Kharg Island, a key part of Iran’s oil infrastructure.

8.17pm UK (3.17pm in Washington DC) – Pakistan asks for a two-week ceasefire

Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, asked Trump to agree to a two week ceasefire to allow peace talks to progress – and for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz in the meantime.

“Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future,” he wrote.

“To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks.”

He added: “Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open the Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture.

“We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region.”

An early draft of the tweet, apparently posted accidentally, introduced it as “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X” – leading to suspicion the message had been suggested or co-ordinated by another country.

11.32pm UK (6.32pm in Washington DC) – Trump backs down, agrees to ceasefire

Trump agrees to a two-week ceasefire to allow talks to progress.

In a Truth Social post, Trump referred to a “10-point plan” Iran had proposed, saying it was a “workable basis on which to negotiate.”

It’s unclear if this was different to the “10-point plan” Iran proposed yesterday, which Trump said was a “significant step” but was “not good enough.”

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said any ceasefire would be contingent on Iran allowing safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait.

“Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” he wrote.

“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”

Trump added that the two week period would allow the 10-point plan to be “finalised and consummated.

Shortly after, Israel confirms they too will abide by the ceasefire.

12.25am UK (7.25pm in Washington DC) – Iran claims victory, says it will allow access to Strait of Hormuz only under their supervision

In a statement, Iran’s foreign minister Syed Abbas Araghchi effectively declared victory, saying the US had “accepted the framework” of their 10-point proposal.

He said: “If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”

The statement implies Iran would have complete control over the Strait – something they did not have before the conflict – at least for the length of the ceasefire.

No “technical limitations” were in place before the war, with hundreds of vessels traversing the waterway each day.