Kolkata: US President Donald Trump on June 23 announced on Truth Social that Israel and Iran have agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours. He added that the ceasefire marks an “Official END” to war, a sudden and welcome twist to the Israel-Iran war which also saw the US bombing three Iranian nuclear sites.
While the Israeli military is yet to comment on Trump’s statement, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi rejected his claim and said that no such agreement has been made. He further said that the final decision on the cessation of their military operations will be made later. He wrote in a post on X, “As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around. As of now, there is NO “agreement” on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
However, Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) fanbase has welcomed Trump’s ceasefire agreement. The American involvement in the war was heavily criticised by the likes of Stephen Kevin Bannon, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, known to be staunch Trump loyalists. Notably, Bannon said that the US would commit a big mistake if it got involved in direct military action against Iran. Moreover, he urged Trump to question Israeli intelligence and Netanyahu’s warnings.
When right-wing journalist Tucker Carlson slammed the US government and warned it to stay out of the conflict, a staunch Trump loyalist and Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene defended Carlson. According to Greene, anyone supporting such an intervention was not “America First”.
The change in stance
Greene even took to social media to criticise American involvement in “another foreign war” and said it would not have begun “if Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first. Israel is a nuclear-armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”
However, Greene has dismissed reports of division between her and Trump and reiterated her firm support for the US President. Moreover, she amplified Trump’s Truth Social announcement of an eventual “complete and total CEASEFIRE” between Israel and Iran, and thanked him for “pursuing peace.”
Thank you, President Trump, for pursuing peace! https://t.co/nYrufgnNh7
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) June 23, 2025
Even Carlson changed his stance, with his silence on his X account after the American attack on Iranian nuclear sites followed by a brief “Thank God” message after Trump claimed the ceasefire. He later addressed the issue in his “The Tucker Carlson Show,” and posted, “Thank God brokered a ceasefire. That’s the last thing Mark Levin wanted.”
Thank God.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 24, 2025
Meanwhile, Bannon took a dig at Trump over the ceasefire, and he was one of the names in the growing list of MAGA supporters who are focused more on ‘America First’ than anything else. He said on his his ‘War Room’ web show, “It hasn’t been lost, that he thanked Bibi Netanyahu, who I would think right now – at least the War Room’s position is the last guy on Earth you should thank.” While he has criticised Trump over his role in the Iran-Israel war, Bannon has also admitted that “the Maga movement will back Trump” despite the difference in war views.
