United States President Donald Trump launched a fierce public attack on the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Thursday after the newspaper’s editorial board described his declaration of victory in the Iran conflict as premature, even as a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan entered its second day under mounting pressure.
In a series of Truth Social posts, Trump dismissed the WSJ’s editorial board as one of the least accurate in the world and rejected its characterisation of his position on the conflict. “Actually, it is a Victory, and there’s nothing ‘premature’ about it!” he wrote, adding that Iran would never acquire a nuclear weapon as a result of his actions and that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz would resume shortly.
In a separate post, Trump issued a direct warning to Tehran over reports that Iran was levying tolls on tankers seeking to pass through the strait. “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait. They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he wrote, adding that Iran was conducting itself dishonourably in breach of the terms he said had been agreed.
The WSJ editorial board, in its Wednesday opinion piece, had raised concern over Iran’s continued influence over the strait and the status of its enriched uranium stockpile, warning that allowing Iran to retain a veto over Hormuz traffic would amount to a US defeat. The board also argued that Trump’s shifting public rhetoric throughout the conflict, ranging from promises of total victory to threats to end Iran’s civilisation, had undermined both domestic and international support for his position.
The sharp exchange comes against the backdrop of a delicate diplomatic situation. Trump announced on Tuesday that the US had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, mediated by Pakistan, after 40 days of US and Israeli air strikes on Iranian targets. The truce was followed by a commitment from Tehran to allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran has since disputed the scope of the agreement, pointing to Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon as a violation of the ceasefire terms.
A high-level US delegation comprising Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner is set to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday to begin formal negotiations with Iranian representatives, in what will represent the most senior US diplomatic engagement with Tehran since the conflict began on February 28.
Major questions remain unresolved ahead of those talks, including the status of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme, the precise terms of Hormuz access, and whether Lebanon will be included in any broader ceasefire framework.
