US President Donald Trump has faced criticism online, with some commentators accusing him of another “TACO” moment — a term used by critics meaning “Trump Always Chickens Out” — after a last-minute ceasefire agreement with Iran. The comments followed Trump’s decision to suspend planned military action just hours after warning that a “whole civilization” could be destroyed if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The ceasefire, announced on Tuesday evening, came after mediation efforts by Pakistan, which urged the United States to delay action ahead of a deadline set for 8 p.m. Eastern time. Pakistan proposed a two-week pause in hostilities, during which Iran would allow oil, gas and other commercial vessels to pass safely through the key shipping route.
In a statement, Trump said the decision followed discussions with Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir. “Based on conversations… and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran… I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” he said.
He added that the pause was conditional on the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump described the move as a “double sided ceasefire”, saying that US military objectives had already been met.
“The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives,” he said, adding that negotiations were progressing towards a broader agreement.
He also said the United States had received a “10 point proposal” from Iran, which he described as “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,” he said, adding that the two-week period would allow time to finalise an agreement.
Earlier in the day, Trump had warned of extensive military action targeting Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, if Tehran did not comply. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” he wrote, although he added that he hoped “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen”.
His remarks were met with flak online. “Trump preserves his TACO Tuesday reputation. Why anyone takes this guy seriously —well, I’m not convinced Iran does,” one person said on X. Another commented on the White House post carrying Trump’s statement, and said “Thank goodness it’s taco Tuesday! For all of our sakes, will congress please come back to Washington and shut this fool down before ww3!!”.
