Middle East Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds Amid NATO Drama and Rising Repression in Tehran

[Social Media]

 

Trump’s Fiery Diplomacy: Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds Amid NATO Drama and Rising Repression in Tehran

 

A tense ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding—at least for now—following an extraordinary series of outbursts and interventions by U.S. President Donald Trump. As he departed for the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump lashed out at both nations on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing them of violating the truce he had personally declared just hours earlier. But shortly after taking off on Air Force One, he announced that both sides had agreed to stop hostilities again, boasting, “Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally! It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!”

 

Trump’s tone has swung dramatically in recent days, but it is clear he sees the ceasefire and renewed defense commitments by NATO allies as a personal triumph. In a gushing message sent to him by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, which Trump promptly shared online, Rutte praised the president’s military actions. “Dear Donald, your decisive action in Iran... was truly extraordinary, and something no-one else dared to do,” he wrote. “You are flying into another big success in The Hague… You will achieve something no American president in decades could get done.”

 

 

The ceasefire comes after twelve days of conflict and destruction, with Iranian citizens voicing a mix of relief and deep skepticism. “I can’t believe the US and Israel made peace with them, especially after all they said about regime change, giving us false hope,” said one Tehran resident via a secure messaging app. Another was more blunt: “I wanted the war to continue until all mullahs are dead. The fact that they are staying and might continue to stay and crack down on us scares me more than the war itself.”

 

Inside Iran, the end of active hostilities has not brought calm. In fact, repression has intensified. Since June 13, Iranian authorities have arrested hundreds on vague “security charges,” a catch-all term used to silence dissent. Today, the prosecutor in Kermanshah province announced that 115 people had been detained for “disturbing security,” including a European citizen accused of espionage. Hamidreza Karimi noted that while only a few face formal spying charges, most are accused of “propaganda against the system.”

 

Iran's judiciary says parliament has now eased legal restrictions, allowing for faster prosecution and harsher sentences for alleged infiltrators and spies. “Under the previous law,” a judiciary spokesperson explained, “many of those arrested during the war with Israel could not have been tried. Now the parliament has opened our hands to deliver exemplary punishments.” At least three people have already been executed, and more arrests have been reported across multiple cities, often tied to social media posts or vague accusations of espionage.

 

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called on Iran to resume cooperation over its nuclear program. “Resuming co-operation with the IAEA is key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities,” said agency chief Rafael Grossi. He also noted that Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities had suffered “extensive damage,” with “some localized radioactive as well as chemical release,” though no elevated radiation levels have been reported outside the sites.

 

Back in the Netherlands, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed cautious optimism. “This is an opportunity to secure much-needed stability in the Middle East. Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and they must now return to the table and work towards a lasting settlement,” he said, adding that it was a central message he was sharing with NATO leaders.

 

Still, as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held a firm exchange over the ceasefire’s early violations, observers remain wary. Ceasefires in the region, as history shows, are fragile at best. The destruction of Iranian nuclear infrastructure may have pushed the clock back, but the hard questions remain: how far was Iran from a weapon, and what now?

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC  2025-06-25

 

 

 

 

[Yagoda]

The problem with NATO is that it isnt 5 per cent, no matter what they say. Time for us to leave NATO.

[Bkk Brian]

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

Back in the Netherlands, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed cautious optimism. “This is an opportunity to secure much-needed stability in the Middle East. Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and they must now return to the table and work towards a lasting settlement,” he said, adding that it was a central message he was sharing with NATO leaders.

No doubt a statement from NATO will be forth coming soon.

[Hanaguma]

42 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

The problem with NATO is that it isnt 5 per cent, no matter what they say. Time for us to leave NATO.

Technically 3.5% directly on the military, and another 1.5% on military adjacent infrastructure and so on. But still a good step.  Trump wins again. 

 

Promises kept.