[1]
By John Helmer, Moscow
@bears_with [2]
President Donald Trump has been defeated on the battlefield near Isfahan over the weekend. He was then defeated on the morning of Tuesday in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in his attempt, manipulating Bahrain, to legalize the use of force against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
Finally, minutes short of his announced [3] genocide deadline “before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!” and “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again [4]”, Trump bit his tongue on his threat [5]: “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
Instead, Trump announced [6] that as a favour to his Pakistan ally, Asim Munir, “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. 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. We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated. On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution.”
The official statement, issued [7] in Teheran by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said that Iran is “considering announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran’s 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations”. The Iranian agreement [7], Araghchi went on, then preserved the new regime for the Strait “via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”
Trump and his tweet supervisor, Stephen Miller, then swallowed their tongue by tweeting [8] the text of Araghchi’s tweet.
Exact and official wording of Iran’s 10-point proposal is not published. However, this summary published by the Tasnim News Agency, a platform of the Islamic Revolurionary Guard Corp (IRGC), comes close [9]. The IRGC has added the interpretation: “By accepting these conditions as the basis for negotiations, Trump has retreated from his desperate threats and bluffs.”
Humiliation reversed. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and War Secretary Peter Hegseth had repeatedly declared [10] in their April 6 press conference, celebrating the weekend pilot rescue, that the Iranians had been “embarrassed and, ultimately, humiliated by the success of this audacious rescue mission”, and “Iran’s military, and we know this, is embarrassed and humiliated, and they should be”. With Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, Trump had declared [11] last December: “Iran has been greatly reduced in power, prestige. I don’t want to use the word humiliation because, you know, they’re trying to build up again.”
In this discussion with Rasheed Muhammad on the Red Pill Diaries, the domestic political drivers of Trump’s aggression, and also of his retreat, have been identified. The factional lineup of Vice President JD Vance, Chief Staff Susan Wiles, White House lawyers, pollsters, and senior military officers has proved to be stronger than the Jewish faction of Stephen Miller, Jared Kushner, Steven Witkoff, and Netanyahu.
Click to view or listen: https://www.youtube.com/live/EG_R1PUqhLY?si=6fTElDx2TaDkFxF- [12]
[13]Source: https://www.youtube.com/live/EG_R1PUqhLY [14]
For details and analysis of the Isfahan operation, read this [15]. For the story of Trump’s attempt to legalize his war through the UNSC vote on the Hormuz Strait, read this:
[16]Source: https://johnhelmer.net/the-un-security-council-is-trapped-up-the-hormuz-strait-without-a-paddle/ [17]
The Russian and Chinese abstention on the UNSC Resolution 2803/2025 on Trump’s ceasefire and peace terms for Gaza was explained here [18].
The UNSC summary of the vote on April 7 can be read here:
[19]Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/04/1167261 [20]
Expanded summaries of the state representatives’ speeches before the vote are here [21].
The latest US opinion polling on Trump’s conduct of the Iran war shows a steady increase in voter disapproval since February 28.
[22]Source: https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/issues/military-action-iran [23] The chart lines represent an average of thirteen nationwide polls. The negative gap between disapproval and approval is even greater in polls by CBS, Reuters, and CNN.
Factional division over Trump’s war is also present in Moscow; in the Kremlin support for Trump is strongest among advisors to President Vladimir Putin who have been negotiating with Witkoff and Kushner. They are represented in public by Kirill Dmitriev.
According to Trump’s most press conference, he has not been listening to them. Asked how he views Putin in the context of the ongoing differences between Trump and the NATO allies over the use of force at the Hormuz, Trump replied [10]: “we went to NATO. I didn’t ask very strongly. I just said, hey, if you want to help, great no, no no, we will not help. I said, that’s all right. You don’t want to help — because I’ve always said NATOs a paper tiger. See, NATOs a paper tiger. Putin’s not afraid of NATO. Putin’s afraid of us, very afraid of us, and he’s explained it to me a lot of times. I got to know him very well. I know him very well.”
In Dmitriev’s frequent tweet publications, he has carefully avoided any criticism of Trump’s wars in the Middle East and his most recent threats against Iran, Russia’s ally. Dmitriev’s targets, like Trump’s, are the European governments.
[24]Source: https://x.com/kadmitriev/status/2041588596533317906 [25]
[26]Source: https://x.com/kadmitriev [27]