In the end, a cool head prevailed, at least it seems that way now.
On April 7 at 6:32 p.m. local time in Washington, US President Donald Trump announced on the Istina platform that the United States and Iran are "very far" from final peace in the Middle East, but that a two-week ceasefire has been agreed upon so that negotiations can continue.
Previously, Trump set a deadline of 20 p.m. local time in Washington to reach an agreement, otherwise he announced that America would launch massive attacks against Iran's energy and transportation infrastructure.
His announcement about temporary cessation of conflict She came almost at the last minute.
The agreement implies that Iran will also cease hostile actions in the region and completely open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic, as promised by the regime in Tehran, although it insists that it wants to retain "authority" over that sea route.
Its achievement allowed Trump to avoid what seemed like a dangerous choice for him: escalating the conflict with a promise that "all of civilization will die tonight" or retreating and undermining his own credibility.
But, perhaps he was just temporarily postponing that decision.
America and Iran will negotiate for the next three weeks, buying time in an attempt to reach a lasting peace agreement.
It will likely be a thorny road, but global financial markets have already reacted: the price of a barrel of oil has fallen below $100 for the first time in recent days, while shares of the largest American companies have risen.
It seems that investors in the stock market are optimistic and believe that the worst is over.
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During the morning hours of April 7, even this kind of shift was not expected, as Trump had threatened the death of Iranian civilization, which, as he claimed, "will never return."
It is not known whether this dire threat from the US president pressured Iran to agree to a temporary ceasefire, which Tehran had previously refused.
But Trump's frightening and inflammatory announcement, made just two days after another similar one, is something we haven't heard from American presidents before.
Even if the two-week ceasefire turns into a permanent peace, a war against Iran and Trump's words could fundamentally change the way the rest of the world sees America.
A country that once built an image as a guarantor of stability across the planet is now shaking the foundations of the international order.
The president who seemed to enjoy breaking the rules and traditions of domestic politics in America is now doing the same on the global stage.
Watch: How Trump threatened Iran - 'Back to the Stone Age'
Trump's political opponents from the Democratic Party were quick to condemn his words on Tuesday, with some going a step further and calling for his removal.
"It is clear that the president has continued to deteriorate and is unable to lead (the country)," Congressman Joaquin Castro announced on X.
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, the upper house of the US Congress, claims that any Republican who does not vote to stop the war with Iran will "bear some responsibility" for what Trump announces, "whatever it is."
Although many members of the Republican Party were behind a president coming from their ranks, that support was far from what Trump generally enjoys on other issues.
His threats about the death of a civilization were sharply criticized by Austin Scott, a Republican congressman from Georgia and a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.
"The president's comments are counterproductive and I disagree with them," he told the BBC.
If such statements by Trump were followed by a bombing of Iran, it would be a "big mistake," said Ron Johnson, a senator from Wisconsin who is loyal to the president.
Congressman Nathaniel Moren of Texas also said on social media that he does not support "the destruction of 'an entire civilization'."
"This is not us and this is not consistent with the principles that America has long been guided by," he added.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who has often engaged in polemics with the president, was even more direct.
She believes that Trump's threat "cannot be justified even as an attempt to gain a better position in negotiations with Iran."
The White House will probably respond that this trump card in the negotiations brought results.
After announcing the ceasefire on his platform Istina (Truth Social), Trump claimed that the United States had "achieved and exceeded" military objectives in Iran.
The Iranian army suffered serious blows.
Although the fundamentalist Islamist regime remains in power, many prominent government leaders have been killed during airstrikes.
But, at this point, it is still uncertain whether many of the goals America has set have been met.
It is not known whether enriched uranium, which is the basis of Iran's nuclear program, was destroyed.
Iran continues to have great influence over allies across the Middle East, such as the Houthis in Yemen.
And even if Tehran were to completely open the Strait of Hormuz to navigation without conditions such as charging ships passing through, it is now clearer than ever that Iran is capable of controlling this key geopolitical point.
Iran is suspending "defensive operations" and allowing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz "in cooperation with the Iranian armed forces," Foreign Minister Seyed Araghchi said after Trump's announcement of a two-week ceasefire.
Washington has accepted the "general framework" of Iran's 10-point plan, he added.
This includes the withdrawal of US military forces from the region, the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran, the payment of compensation to Iran for damage suffered during the war, and the recognition of Tehran's right to control the Strait of Hormuz.
It's actually hard to imagine Trump agreeing to any of those terms, a sign that the two-week negotiations could be difficult.
Currently, Trump has achieved a partial political victory.
He made a dramatic threat and achieved the desired result.
But the cessation of hostilities is temporary and not a permanent solution.
The long-term cost of Trump's words, actions, and war against Iran remains to be seen.
Watch video: BBC reporter near the Strait of Hormuz
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