'Camel dreams of cottonseed': Iran's state broadcaster mocks Trump's peace deal claims

Iranian state media mocked US President Donald Trump's claim that the United States was close to making a deal with Iran that would give America "free oil and free Strait of Hormuz". Sharing a clip from Trump's media interaction on its official X account, Iran's state-owned broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said the US leader was "building castles in the air".

The proverb is often used to describe someone who has unrealistic desires or dreams of something that is unlikely to happen.

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Trump's new claims

Trump on Thursday said Iran had offered not to possess nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Tehran's nuclear ambitions were a sticking point at talks in Islamabad last weekend.

"We're going to see what happens. But I think we're very close to making a deal with Iran," he told reporters outside the White House.

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Hours later at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, Trump went further, saying the war "should be ending pretty soon."

The war with Iran, which began on February 28 with a U.S.-Israeli attack, has killed thousands and sent oil prices surging, creating a major political headache for the U.S. president.

If the Lebanon ceasefire clears the way for a broader peace deal with Iran, it would be a significant win for the Trump administration, which has struggled so far to reopen ‌the strategically important Strait of Hormuz ⁠and block Iran's ⁠path to a nuclear weapon.

Celebratory gunfire rang out across parts of Beirut as the clock struck midnight on Thursday, the time the ceasefire was set to go into effect. For around half an hour, the sound of explosions from rockets fired in celebration could also be heard, witnesses said.

But the pause in hostilities remained fragile.

The Lebanese Army said early on Friday that Israel committed violations of the ceasefire after it took effect, including the intermittent shelling of several southern Lebanese villages.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which had said earlier that its forces remained deployed in the area. In a post on X, Arabic-language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the deployment was in response to what he described as continued Hezbollah militant activity.

Hezbollah released a lengthy statement detailing what it described as its military operations against Israel throughout Thursday, which showed that its last attack came at 11:50 p.m. local time, 10 minutes before the ceasefire took effect.

Trump later issued a social media post urging Hezbollah to respect the ceasefire.

"I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally ⁠have PEACE!" he ‌said.