Ceasefire must not be delayed-action bomb

With Israel and Iran blaming each other for continuing attacks on Tuesday after agreeing to a ceasefire intended to end their conflict, how the situation in the Middle East will evolve remains up in the air. But what has happened since Hamas' attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, provides a means of plotting the trajectory of the overall trend and thus its potential future course.

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire to end their hostilities, to be phased in over the subsequent 24 hours. Although both sides said they had accepted Trump's ceasefire proposal, he later expressed his irritation at both sides violating the deal.

So it remains to be seen whether a ceasefire will take effect.