Donald Trump must be approaching his nadir. His attempts to spin an ephemeral ceasefire that might not even last until sundown into a "mission accomplished" moment have spectacularly imploded.

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The aim was to allow the US to exit the Iran war while the commander-in-chief crowned himself with the laurels of victory.

Those who sat up to watch Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's hubristic claims of a military triumph equivalent to that of Hannibal at Cannae on Wednesday night could only conclude that he was beaming in from a parallel universe.

As one commentator was quick to point out: "They are taking a victory lap moments after the starter's gun has been fired".

There is an obvious disconnect between the claims being made by Hegseth and Trump and the reality on the ground. Iran still has its stock of enriched uranium, it still controls the strait through which 20 per cent of the world's seaborne oil passes, it has the demonstrated support of thousands of Iranians who have turned out to shield power stations, desalination plants and other strategic assets with their own bodies, and it still has the capacity to launch missiles, drones and suicide boats against its enemies.

And, on top of that, Iran has just bought 14 priceless days in which to consolidate its broken chains of command, regroup and prepare for a resumption of hostilities.

That said, hostilities haven't really ceased. Israel - which appears to be going rogue - has continued its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. This, according........

© Canberra Times