President Trump [AFP=Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on the 18th (local time) that he had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran for a ceasefire to prevent a global economic crisis and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In an interview with the U.S. online media Axios, released on the same day, President Trump said, "The only way for me to go in stronger is to go in and bomb them like crazy for 2-3 weeks," adding, "What do we get from that? The Strait of Hormuz will not be opened."

He further argued, "We won't get oil for a few months. As long as bombs are being dropped, it (the Strait of Hormuz) will be automatically closed," and stated, "This could lead to a global economic crisis."

Axios reported, citing sources, that President Trump had expressed concern that Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was depleting global oil reserves and that a sustained blockade could shock the global economy.

This is why the media outlet diagnosed that President Trump, who initially pursued "Iran's unconditional surrender," appears to have found a realistic compromise, even if it falls short of his objectives.

President Trump is rebutting criticism from U.S. media reports and political circles who believe he has not responded strongly enough to Iran, saying, "These fools think I haven't responded strongly enough to Iran when the stock market just set all-time records and oil prices plummeted."

Responding to suggestions that his leadership as the world's superpower has revealed "limits" through this war, President Trump countered, "There are no limits."

When asked what lesson he learned about the limits of his power from this war, he replied, "I haven't learned such a lesson yet (from the Iran war). I know there are limits (to presidential power), but there are no limits."

He then asserted, "We militarily defeated them completely," and regarding the ceasefire MOU, which many evaluate as favoring Iran, he claimed it would be "(Iran's) unconditional surrender."

Earlier, President Trump stated on the social media platform Truth Social, "We look forward to a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel."

This is interpreted as a message that Israel and Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian armed group in Lebanon, should no longer engage in armed conflict, as the ceasefire MOU signed by President Trump with Iran took effect that day, initiating a 60-day schedule (extendable) for follow-up negotiations with Iran.

The ceasefire MOU, released the previous day, explicitly states in Article 1: "Declare the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon."

President Trump said, "The United States is committed to peace, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East to maintain their commitment to ensuring our negotiations unfold beautifully."

President Trump added, "The market is very happy with the current situation where oil prices have fallen significantly and stock prices have risen significantly."