World leaders welcomed with relief yesterday the agreement between the United States, Israel and Iran on a temporary ceasefire, after President Donald Trump backed down from an apocalyptic threat to escalate a war that has already set off a chain of global crises.
However, that relief has been tempered by the deep sense of helplessness that most countries have felt over the past six weeks, watching Trump wage a war that has shaken their economies, energy supplies, domestic politics and relations with the world's leading power, according to the New York Times.
Since the outbreak of the war in late February, world leaders have been caught in a whirlwind of Trump’s personal and geopolitical twists and turns. They have had to guess whether he will order more strikes on Tehran or declare an end to the conflict, both scenarios he has announced at different times. At the same time, they have endured his long tirades about the US not getting enough help and gratitude from its allies, accompanied by threats to withdraw from NATO, while dealing with soaring oil and gas prices and supply disruptions caused by the war.
Officials in some of those countries pointed to obstacles that remain to making the two-week truce permanent, including resolving sensitive issues of Iran's nuclear ambitions and the safety of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz for global shipping. They also acknowledged that repairing the cracks that the war has opened in the global economy and security environment will be long and difficult.
At the same time, they are looking for better ways to navigate the new world order that Trump has imposed in his second term in the White House, in which the president is taking sudden turns that are affecting both allies and adversaries, with very limited options to mitigate these shocks.
“Is the world a better place today than it was yesterday? Undoubtedly,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loke Rasmussen wrote on the social network X. “And what about 40 days ago? More than questionable.”
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister and one of the most vocal opponents of the war in Iran, said ceasefires are always good news, especially if they lead to a just and lasting peace. However, he also strongly condemned Trump's military campaign.
“The current relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction and the lives lost,” he wrote on social media. “The Spanish government will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they then appeared with a bucket of water. What is needed now is diplomacy, international law and peace.”
The Times writes that it is perhaps surprising that Sanchez yesterday joined six European leaders, as well as the leaders of Canada, the European Commission and the European Council, in pledging state support for "ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."
The newspaper states that such an engagement remains only at the level of an idea for now, despite Trump's insistence that his NATO allies send military capabilities to help ease Iran's blockade of the waterway, with the aim of lowering global oil and gas prices.
Outside Europe, the ceasefire has also been praised by countries such as Oman, Japan, Malaysia and Australia, often accompanied by criticism of Trump and the impact of the war on their economies, or warnings of a difficult diplomatic path ahead.
"While this is encouraging news, much important work remains to be done in the coming days to secure a lasting ceasefire," New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. The war has wide-ranging consequences and disruptions, both for countries in the Middle East and beyond, he added.
Other leaders warned that the war was continuing to disrupt global energy supplies, forcing many governments to take costly measures to ease the burden on drivers and other consumers.
“The goal now must be to negotiate a lasting end to the war in the coming days,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said yesterday. He pledged that Germany would support international efforts to reopen the strait. Such negotiations, he added, “could prevent a serious global energy crisis.”
The New York Times reports that leaders have very limited ability to influence Trump, whether in this war or any other conflict. They have also been struggling for months to interpret his belligerent and often shifting statements. Some have resorted to a variety of approaches - from mild support to measured opposition to complete public silence - in the hope that Trump will change his mind.
Trump issued an apocalyptic threat to Iran on Tuesday, saying the US would wipe out its civilization. Neither Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, nor French President Emmanuel Macron publicly responded to the message.
The Times writes that this appeared to be a deliberate silence, to avoid any provocation from the US president, while diplomats - led by the Pakistani government - worked behind the scenes to secure a ceasefire. Instead, Macron and Merck posted unrelated comments on the X social network.
World leaders have been struggling for months to interpret Trump's belligerent and often-changing statements. Some have resorted to a variety of approaches - from mild support to measured opposition to complete public silence - in the hope that Trump will change his mind.
Other officials across Europe have been trying for a month to mitigate the economic and political consequences of the war-induced surge in oil and gas prices.
In Italy, the president of a teachers' union warned that students could be forced to return to distance learning in the final weeks of the school year if fuel shortages continue and make it difficult to keep school facilities running. The crisis has hit Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni at a politically sensitive moment, after she lost a referendum on reforming Italy's judiciary.
Its government has cut fuel taxes until at least the end of May to ease some of the burden on consumers. Spain has similarly cut energy taxes. German authorities have imposed a limit on petrol stations increasing prices only once a day and are considering additional measures to help consumers. The European Trade Union Confederation estimated yesterday that the prolonged crisis could increase energy costs for the average household in the European Union by almost 2.000 euros this year.
Experts warn that more aid may be needed, even if there is progress in the negotiations.
“What has been done so far has caused serious damage to energy infrastructure,” said Tito Boeri, an economics professor at Bocconi University in Milan. “Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, it will take time for these countries to return to full capacity.”
The British prime minister traveled to the Persian Gulf yesterday to meet with allies and discuss how to keep the strait open to international shipping in the long term. Starmer's trip was planned before the ceasefire was announced and followed talks on the strait that Britain hosted last week with diplomats and military planners from more than 40 countries.
Until yesterday, these talks had not produced a concrete plan of action.
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