Topic analysis

Iran war: Hegseth declares 'historic' victory for US

Donald Trump has pulled back from threats to destroy Iran and agreed to a two-week ceasefire after receiving a 10-point proposal from Tehran. His defense secretary said US forces are "not going anywhere." Follow DW. Welcome to DW's coverage of the conflict in Iran and the Middle East on Wednesday, April 8: Almost 90 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Monday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, cited by Reuters news agency. A spokesperson for the ministry said the Israeli attacks across the country had killed "89 ‌martyrs ​and wounded 700 people." The spokesperson added that 12 medics were among those killed. The AFP news agency cited similar numbers, saying 89 were killed and 722 were wounded. Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics, told DW that the Iran war will be seen in history "as one of the greatest miscalculations by an American president." Watch the full interview with DW here: To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video President Trump reportedly told US public broadcaster PBS that Lebanon was not included as part of the ceasefire deal with Iran, contradicting statements from Iran. "Yeah they were not included in the deal," he said when asked about Israel's continued bombing of Lebanon. When asked why not, he responded "Because of Hezbollah," before referring to Israel's war in Lebanon as a "separate skirmish." Iran has said it would unilaterally end the ceasefire if Israeli attacks continue against Lebanon, saying that the agreement with the US included all fronts of the war. Donald Trump has suggested that securing the Strait of Hormuz for international shipping could be done as a "joint venture." "We're thinking of doing it as a joint venture," the president told the US broadcaster ABC. "It's a way of securing it  — also securing it from lots of other people," he added, without giving details. It was not immediately clear how much Iran, which has been heavily bombed by the US and Israel for over a month, would be interested in cooperating with the US in a "joint venture." Trump's tone matches his earlier comments in which he said the US would "work closely" with Iran after a "very productive Regime Change." According to most analysts, the new leaders of Iran, including Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the former supreme leader who was killed in the first day of US-Israeli strikes, are more hardline than their predecessors. US President Donald Trump has said that direct talks with Iran would happen "soon" after a ceasefire agreement was mediated by Pakistan. He told the  New York Post  in a phone call that the talks would happen "very soon, actually — it's going to take place very soon." "We'll have Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, JD —maybe  JD, I don't know. There's a question of safety, security," Trump added. Iran has previously said it would talk to the vice president, but not Witkoff. The latter was involved in the previous two rounds of talks during which the US launched attacks against Iran. There have also been reported that Vance was against the war in the first place. The in-person talks could begin as early as Friday, the day suggested by Pakistan. Abu Dhabi police said in a post on X that they had arrested almost 400 people for posting messages or photos related to Iran's attacks over the past month. "Abu Dhabi Police announced the arrest of 375 individuals of various nationalities for filming different locations and spreading misinformation related to current events on social media platforms," police said in a statement. The post called on the public to use what it called approved official sources for news, rather than rumours or unverified news. Similar waves of arrests have been conducted in the rest of the United Arab Emirates and across the Gulf after Iranian attacks hit both US and civilian infrastructure, especially oil and gas facilities. Iran is reportedly considering abandoning the agreed two-week ceasefire if Israeli attacks against Lebanon continue, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said, citing a source familiar with the issue. The source said that the ceasefire had been agreed for all fronts, "but the Zionist regime [Israel] has been carrying out brutal attacks against Lebanon in blatant violation of the ceasefire since this morning." Tasnim also reported that the Iranian military was looking into how to respond to Israel's violations. Despite the opening of the Strait of Hormuz being part of the ceasefire agreement, vessels in the Persian Gulf have reported continued threats from the Iranian military. Several ships reported receiving threatening messages, according to Reuters news agency. "Any vessel trying ​to travel into the ⁠sea ... ​will ​be targeted and ​destroyed..." a ‌message said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said shipping in the area would go ahead only in coordination with Iran's armed forces, "and with due consideration of technical limitations," according to a post by Iran's national broadcaster IRIB on X. Araghchi said ships could only pass through the Strait of Hormuz with authorization. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared the US had won its war with Iran several hours after a two-week ceasefire came into place. "Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield," Hegseth told a press conference, using Washington's official term for its military campaign. "Iran begged for this ceasefire and we all know it," Hegseth said. He claimed that Iran could "no longer build missiles"  due to the damage wrought to its military industry by US strikes. Hegseth said that the US would have proceeded to destroy Iranian bridges and energy infrastructure had Tehran not agreed to the two-week ceasefire deal. He said that US forces would stay in the region to ensure that Iran complies with the terms of the deal. "We'll be hanging around, we're not going anywhere," Hegseth said. Under the terms of the Pakistan-brokered deal , the US and Israel are to halt their attacks on Iran and Tehran is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump has said a 10-point Iranian proposal to end the war — which includes multiple points likely to be highly contentious to Washington, including reparations, a US military withdrawal from the Middle East and recognition of Iran's nuclear enrichment program for civilian purposes — is a "workable" basis for further talks. In his Wednesday comments, Hegseth said that the US expected Iran to hand over its enriched uranium stocks, saying: "They will give it up and we will take it." Meanwhile, top general Dan Caine said at the same press conference that US forces remained ready to renew attacks against Iran. "Let us be clear, a ceasefire is a pause, and the joint force remains ready, if ordered or called upon," Caine said. What does the German government think about the US-Iran ceasefire agreement? What does Chancellor Friedrich Merz think? Media representatives in the German capital, Berlin, wanted to get answers to these questions on Wednesday. Despite the fear of another massive escalation in the Middle East, which had been palpable in political circles in Berlin just a few hours earlier, the official reactions were almost void of any emotion. Just before 8:00 a.m., the Federal Press Office had sent out a short statement from the chancellor reading, among other things: "The goal now must be to negotiate a lasting end to the war in the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic channels." That was also the message given in the Federal Press Conference a few hours later: Deputy government spokesman Sebastian Hille tried to disclose as little as possible. There were no details on what it actually means when Germany offers to "contribute in an appropriate manner to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz." There was also no comment on the rumor that the German Navy could send mine-clearing vessels into the Strait of Hormuz. French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly announced that 15 states will gather to actively work towards keeping the faint hope for peace alive. Is Germany among them? "Intensive discussions are underway," government spokesperson Hille said. But surely Germany must say something about the fact that just a few hours ago, US President Donald Trump openly threatened Iran with the annihilation of an entire civilization? Wasn't that a blatant announcement of war crimes? "I'm not going to offer any textual analysis of past events," government spokesman Hille stated tersely. And so, the German government's only message was that Germany had by no means remained passive on the sidelines during the recent developments in the Gulf. Hille and the spokesman for the Foreign Office, Martin Giese, explained that Chancellor Merz had been in constant contact with all "relevant parties" over the Easter weekend, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had spoken by telephone with his Israeli counterpart. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The prime minister of Canada and multiple European leaders and officials support the two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran and would like to see further diplomatic efforts to end to the war, according to a joint statement. "We strongly encourage quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement," the statement read. "The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means." "Our Governments will contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," they said. The joint statement was issued by Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands. It was also signed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa. US President Donald Trump said that Washington would work with Iran to remove nuclear material buried in the country. "The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust,'" Trump said, adding that the US was keeping the fallout under satellite surveillance. The United States struck Iranian nuclear sites during a brief war in June 2025 and declared that the facilities had been "obliterated." "Nothing has been touched from the date of attack," Trump said in an apparent reference to the June 2025 conflict. Tehran maintains that its nuclear enrichment serves exclusively civilian purposes. Trump also said that the US was discussing removing some tariffs and sanctions from Iran. "We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran;" he said, while claiming that Tehran had already agreed to some of the US' demands. In a separate post, he said that countries that supply weapons to Iran will face 50% US tariffs. Iranian state television said drone and missile strikes on Wednesday targeting Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were a response to airstrikes that hit oil facilities on Iran's Lavan island, located to the north of the Strait of Hormuz, earlier in the day. The exchanges of fire come despite the US and Iran announcing that they had agreed to a ceasefire earlier on Wednesday. The report said the strike on the oil facility happened at 10 a.m. without specifying who launched the attack, which caused a fire but no injuries. The Iranian Oil ‌Ministry's news ​outlet, Shana, called it an "enemy attack." Explosions were also reported on Iran's Sirri island in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Dubai, according to Iran's Mehr news agency. The Kuwaiti military said 28 Iranian drones, some targeting power stations and oil facilities, were intercepted in the wave of attacks on Wednesday. Damage to infrastructure and desalination plants was reported. The United Arab Emirates also said air defenses were intercepting Iranian missile and drone attacks. Separately, Iran's Revolutionary ‌Guards said Wednesday they attacked US and Israel-linked energy complexes and oil lines overnight, along with striking oil facilities in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea export hub, Yanbu. Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern politics and international relations at the London School of Economics, has told DW that US President Donald Trump had seriously miscalculated in launching the war with Iran. "I think [the war] will be seen in history … as one of the greatest miscalculations by an American president," Gerges said. "President Trump not only has undermined his own credibility as a negotiator, he has undermined America's standing in the world," he said. Gerges said Trump "was desperate to find an off-ramp" and was offered one by the Iranian leadership in accepting a two-week truce. He said that Iran's 10-point peace proposal was essentially a "wishlist" and multiple points were likely to be contentious for Washington. Gerges argued that Trump had reduced his objectives over the course of the war, saying that the US president initially emphasized regime change but later focused largely on opening the Strait of Hormuz. "All he cares about is opening the Strait of Hormuz for shipping, even though the Strait of Hormuz was open for shipping before the war," he said. "One of the results of the war was that Iran was able to block the Strait of Hormuz." "Iran, from the beginning, was willing to negotiate. It was the United States and Israel that pre-empted the diplomatic process and attacked Iran," he said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video He said that the United States and Israel's war on Iran has "strengthened and emboldened the Islamic Republic domestically." "The war has come at the expense of the Iranian people," he said, pointing to civilian deaths and damage to infrastructure from the US-Israeli bombing campaign. He said it was likely that the US' Gulf Arab allies would "try to diversify their relations," as they were "disappointed" with Trump's handling of the war. "A new security architecture will have to be created to ensure stability in the Gulf," he said. "The old system has been shattered to a million pieces." He said that he believed Israel would also "emerge much weaker" from the war and that Gulf states would not seek to deepen their ties to the country. Speaking during a visit to Budapest on Wednesday, US Vice President JD Vance welcomed the ceasefire with Iran, but warned that it was being misrepresented in Iran.  "You have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we’ve already struck," Vance said, without sharing further details.  "If the Iranians are willing in good faith to work with us, I think we can make an agreement," said Vance, who is in Hungary this week to endorse Viktor Orban's reelection bid . "I think if they negotiate in good faith, we will be able to find a deal. That's a big if. And ultimately, it's up to the Iranians how they negotiate. I hope they make the right decision," Vance said.  However, he warned that if Tehran does not come to the negotiating table, "they're going to find out that the President of the United States is not one to mess around. He's impatient. He's impatient to make progress." Pakistan, which mediated the ceasefire , said that negotiations on a permanent end to the war could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday.