The Levant Files

President Donald Trump's latest Truth Social post claiming that Iran's leadership has formally requested a ceasefire has drawn immediate scrutiny from analysts and a sharp counter-narrative from Tehran — while Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a fresh military warning in the same news cycle, underlining the volatile and contradictory signals emanating from all sides of the conflict. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the "new president" of Iran's government — described as "far less radical and much smarter than his predecessors" — had recently asked the United States for a ceasefire. He added that Washington would consider such a request only once the Strait of Hormuz was "open, free, and safe," and confirmed that American strikes against the Islamic Republic would continue in the meantime. Factual Problems In Trump's Framing The  post contains several verifiable inaccuracies. According to Peter Beaumont's from the Guardian, analysis...

Three Indonesian Blue Helmets serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have been killed in separate incidents in southern Lebanon, prompting Jakarta to call for a thorough and impartial UN investigation and raising urgent questions about the safety of peacekeeping personnel in the conflict zone. According to the Jakarta Post editorial, one peacekeeper died in Adchit al-Qusayr and two others in Bani Hayyan. Indonesia's government and press have been swift to condemn the actions that led to the deaths, describing them as a blatant violation of international law, which prohibits warring parties from targeting UN personnel. Although UNIFIL's investigation is ongoing, Indonesian officials and commentators have pointed to Israel as responsible for the incidents, rejecting Israeli military claims that the affected areas constituted active combat zones against Hezbollah. Critics note that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) possess advanced targeting technology tha...

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph published on 1 April, US President Donald Trump described NATO as a "paper tiger" and stated that American withdrawal from the alliance was "beyond reconsideration." The interview came against the backdrop of allied refusal to support the US–Israeli air campaign against Iran, launched on 28 February, and specifically to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively blockaded for weeks. Trump singled out the United Kingdom for rebuke, mocking the state of the Royal Navy and dismissing Prime Minister Keir Starmer's priorities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking hours before the interview aired, called NATO a "one-way street" and confirmed that a formal re-examination of US membership would follow the conclusion of hostilities. Administration sources also floated a "pay-to-play" model that could strip non-compliant allies of decision-making power, alongside renewed consideratio...

The US-Israel war on Iran entered its 33rd day on Wednesday amid a sharp escalation of hostilities across the region, with Iranian missiles striking an oil tanker in Qatari territorial waters, fresh Israeli strikes on Beirut, and US President Donald Trump threatening to pull Washington out of NATO after European allies refused to join military operations against Tehran. Tanker Hit Off Qatar's Coast Qatar's Defence Ministry confirmed that three missiles launched from Iran struck near its territorial waters, with two intercepted and a third hitting an oil tanker leased by QatarEnergy. The strike marked one of the most significant direct attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure since the conflict began, raising fresh alarm over the safety of oil shipping in the region. Iran has drawn widespread condemnation for firing missiles indiscriminately at Gulf states regardless of nationality, a pattern the Iranian foreign ministry has simultaneously sought to distance itself from by calling ...