From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, this is Potomac Watch.

President Trump announces a two-week ceasefire in Iran while declaring a military victory.

For the details of this pause, is it likely to hold, and has the U.S. achieved its objectives

of lessening the Iranian threat to the region and

the world. Welcome, I'm Kyle Peterson with the Wall Street Journal. We're joined today by my colleagues

on the WSJ's opinion pages, editorial board member Kate O'Dell, and columnist Kim Strassel. President

Trump said a Tuesday deadline for some kind of deal with Iran,

threatening on truth social that if there were no breakthrough, quote, a whole civilization will

die tonight never to be brought back again, unquote. Then on Tuesday evening, he wrote that

there would be a two-sided, double-sided ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing

to complete immediate and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

He said he would agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.

Let's start with a couple clips of a press conference.

This is General Dan Kane, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a press briefing on Wednesday

morning from the Pentagon.

On February 28, the President of the United States ordered the Joint Force to execute Operation

Epic Fury with the direction to accomplish three distinct military objectives. Destroy Iran's ballistic missile

and drone capabilities, destroy the Iranian Navy, and destroy their defense industrial base

to ensure that Iran cannot reconstitute the ability to project power outside their borders.

Over the course of 38 days of major combat operation, the Joint

Force achieved the military objectives as defined by the President. We welcome the ongoing ceasefire,

and as the Secretary said, we hope that Iran chooses a lasting peace. But as Secretary Hegeseth said,

...