In public, Qatar was insisting on the right to defend itself after Iran attacked a U.S. military site in the emirate. Behind the scenes, it was already mediating a truce between Israel and Iran.

After twelve days of intense strikes between Israel and Iran – punctuated by the United States’ bombing of Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend and Tehran’s performative retaliation – a US-brokered ceasefire appeared to be holding on Tuesday.

In a 48-hour whirlwind, President Donald Trump went from elated to indignant to triumphant as the fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire agreement came together, teetered toward collapse and ultimately coalesced.