Fighting at the White House as fighting ends in Iran

Donald Trump last night got the 80th birthday present at the top of his wish list, when he, Iran and mediator Pakistan announced that both sides are closer than ever to ending the war.

Both sides appear optimistic a deal will be signed on Friday that will officially bring this conflict to a close and, in turn, bring much needed relief to the global energy market.

President Trump has been desperately trying to secure a deal with Iran but has been repeatedly tripped up by Israel and Hezbollah firing at each other in Lebanon and numerous "self-defence" challenges to the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

"What the f*** are you doing?" Mr Trump said he told the Israeli Prime Minister at the weekend.

The timing of this announcement couldn't be better for Mr Trump as he hosted major UFC fights at the White House for America’s 250th birthday and his own milestone last night.

With spectacle and showmanship, President Trump wanted to project himself as a winner to the country and the 85,000 who gathered at the park in front of the White House for an extravagant watch party of the events taking place close by.

Throughout the night, the lighting structure known as 'the Claw' shone red, white and blue as 4,300 people, including the US president, watched multiple fights in the octagon that had been built on the White House’s South Lawn.

The majority of those at the park, known as the Ellipse, were young men, mostly UFC supporters.

Many in this demographic were credited with helping Mr Trump get over the line in the presidential election back in 2024.

But, speaking to those here about the President and a deal with Iran, they were sceptical and didn’t yet see the winner he believes himself to be.

One said that they would believe an agreement when they see it.

"If it’s real, I just hope that everything works out, but I feel like they’ve said it’s a deal multiple times now, so it just makes you wonder, is it real?," said another man.

Scepticism is natural. Those comments and the reluctance to trust the words of the president showcase one major consequence of this war.

After months of inconsistent messaging, promises to end the war soon and many false dawns for a deal, the US president’s word has lost some meaning.

The value of his words has been greatly tarnished.

Even Iranian state media noted during the week that Mr Trump said more than 38 times that he was close to ending the war, but nothing ever materialised.

There is still a long way to go before Friday, when both sides are due to put pen to paper in Switzerland, and many stumbling blocks remain.

While many hope that this is genuine progress that will bring an end to the war, doubt casts a shadow over this announcement and will add to growing distrust of what politicians say and do into the future.

Read more: US and Iran reach deal to end war, signing set for Friday