Those Claiming Iran Had Upper Hand After Ceasefire Are Made Fools

Within around an hour of President Trump’s deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, he announced Iranians had agreed to a two-week ceasefire. This came after Trump warned Iranian bridges and electric power generation would go. Due to the destruction of Iran’s political and military leadership, incoherent actions and statements came out of Iran after the ceasefire: Iran still fired missiles against Israel and neighboring Gulf states.

Iran first claimed it would open the Strait of Hormuz as per the ceasefire agreement, then claimed it would charge tolls for ships to pass. Though the ceasefire was limited in time, the immediate reaction of the left and “woke right” to the ceasefire was to claim Iran came out on top. The main alleged reason was that Iran controlled the Strait. After the first peace negotiations on Saturday broke down, Trump played a wildcard and “check mated” Iran, thereby making fools of Trump’s critics.

The critics have been incredulous. Trump’s ceasefire came after the most successful air campaign in history. In under 40 days, the Senior Iranian political and military leadership was killed multiple levels down. The Iranian Air Force and Navy were quickly dispatched. The Iranian air defenses were destroyed, which allowed for complete air supremacy over Iran (note: the F15 shot down was by a shoulder fired system and not integrated Air Defense).

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij headquarters were destroyed multiple levels down. Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and most nuclear scientists killed. Iran still holds hundreds of pounds of 60% enriched Uranium, hidden somewhere in Iran (likely underground and inaccessible right now after facilities were bombed). All this success came at the price of 13 American servicemembers, whose memories we honor but still far, far less than expected.

Despite the utter destruction of the Iranian military with few losses, Democrats slammed Trump as having given Iran the upper hand. That’s despite the Democrats having lambasted Trump during the Operation Epic Fury for not finishing military operations sooner. 

Democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, who was the most hawkish Democrat against Iran, gaslighted by claiming “The Iranian regime is still standing. Not just standing, but now emboldened…. Iran’s nuclear ambition, worse. The bottom line is that Iran still holds its nuclear stockpile. Its nuclear ambitions are still unchecked, if not accelerated.” (Truth Out, April 10, 2026)

Other Democrats were much more hyperbolic in criticism of the operation, claiming that because Iran controls traffic through the Strait of Hormuz we are worse off and they won. “Woke right” podcasters like Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones and Meghan Kelly, were hammered by Trump on Truth Social for using the left’s hyperbolic criticism of Epic Fury. Tucker Carlson went so far as to claim the operation was “The single biggest mistake Trump, or any American president, has made in my lifetime in going to war with Iran.” (Jerusalem Post, April 12, 2026)

Woke right podcaster Candace Owens called for Congress to throw Trump out of office and worse.

The left and woke right have been repeating Iranian regime propaganda of them “winning” the war despite their utter destruction. What remains of the regime leadership has been pushing this insane propaganda due to fears the Iranian people will rise up in revolution if they know the truth. After the Iranian regime murdered tens of thousand of Iranian unarmed protesters in January (one reason for Epic Fury) the regime cut off internet to the Iranian people. The people were kept in the dark from the truth of the obliteration of Iranian military and leadership. 

The regime is telling the people that they “won” the war by Iran now controlling the Strait of Hormuz. The regime takes pride in having caused worldwide discontent from economic repercussions of their blackmail. From PBS: “This is a propaganda war for them," Neil Lavie-Driver, an AI researcher at the University of Cambridge, said, referring to Iran. "Their goal is to sow enough discontent with the conflict as to eventually force the West to cave in, so it is massively important to them." (PBS, April 9, 2026)

The Iranian strategy was to focus propaganda on sympathetic sources in the West (like the left and woke right) to bring enough pressure on Trump to end the war.

After the first peace negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad on Saturday broke down, Trump check-mated Iran. He announced a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in which all Iranian ships and ships which paid Iran an illegal toll will be stopped. Additionally, Trump is sending in US Naval Warships to clear mines from the Strait. These warships are not paying heed to Iranians trying to stop them. The Iranians know that if they attack any warships, Trump will obliterate much of Iran’s infrastructure and the oil transit of Kharg Island (90% of Iranian oil exports). The Iranian economy will crumble. This means Iran has lost its blackmail. America doesn’t need the oil, and Iran’s ally of China will force Iran to surrender to American Demands.

Trump’s checkmate makes fools of the critics on the left and woke right. As Proverbs 18:2 tells us “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” That includes opinions not backed by reality.