Iran Celebrates Ceasefire But Distrust Persists Over US, Israel Actions

The Iran war ceasefire has been welcomed by a global community worried by Donald Trump's increasingly aggressive rhetoric - cue the "crazy b*****ds" and "whole civilisation will die tonight" posts - and the energy crisis due to the Hormuz blockade.

Backchannel talks between Washington and Tehran, aided by Pakistan, signed off on the two-week peace plan annoucned early Wednesday (India time), with Vice-President JD Vance reportedly in a starring role.

Under its terms, details of which are not yet public, Iran will re-open the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war traffic levels, i.e., 100-135 tankers passing through it daily, carrying approximately a fifth of the world's seaborne oil and gas supply.

Meanwhile, the US will likely pull back some of the 57,000+ troops deployed in the region.

A potential win-win situation, though attacks on an Iranian refinery, and counter-strikes on Kuwait and the UAE, later in the day threatened to walk back gains made in the past 48 hours.

READ | Oil Refinery In Iran Struck Despite Ceasefire, Tehran Strikes Kuwait, UAE

Tehran streets were packed in the hours after the ceasefire was announced.

Turkish broadcaster TRT World, Al Jazeera, and Reuters showed thousands gathered in Enqelab Square in a show of strength, shouting and cheering, and waving the Iranian flag and posters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, almost as if Iran had won the war.

But others were sceptical about the US and Israel's commitment to peace, concerns amplified by the burning of American and Israeli flags to underline the sentiment that neither is capable of keeping the promises it makes.

Cries of 'death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers ' rang out, the Associated Press said.

Celebrations have erupted in Tehran following news of a two-week ceasefire agreement that will allow for peace negotiations between the US and Iran.

🔗: https://t.co/CmUfjLXde6 pic.twitter.com/UenYJN86xx

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 8, 2026

One upset woman in a hijab, sitting in a car, told CNN: "America has shown itself a hundred times till now… we have gone to the negotiation table twice and it attacked us twice. And this (ceasefire) again is for it to re-arm itself… this is the nature of America. Is it going to change?"

Her co-passenger chimed in: "If he himself says so (i.e., Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei) then we accept. But he has not accepted this… they (unclear who they were referring to) forced him…"

While there is nothing to suggest Khamenei was 'forced' in any way, some analysts have speculated on a possible rift within Iran's leadership. Hardline factions - likely within or affiliated to the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps in the thick of the war - have criticised the ceasefire.

The Iran International TV network cited sources close to President Masoud Pezeshkian narrating a showdown Saturday with senior IRGC commanders, who were accused of 'unilateral actions that have wrecked ceasefire prospects and pushed Iran toward disaster'.

Apparent rifts within the Iran administration, echoed by contradictory views on the streets, will put strain on the ceasefire ahead of scheduled US-Iran talks in Pakistan on Friday.

Resolving these rifts is critical if the truce is to hold and evolve into a permanent, or at least a long-term, end to the fighting.

The truth is that Iran has significant reservations about the US and Israel's commitment to the peace process, particularly since US air strikes in June 2025 and February 2026 came amid formal talks over a new nuclear/missile programme deal, which critics have flagged as proof of bad‑faith negotiating.

That scepticism echoed today and last year. After the June 2025 ceasefire, Raha, a 41-year-old history teacher, told Al Jazeera, "This isn't peace… how can we place our trust in those who speak of regime change while advocating for peace?"