WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Donald Trump claimed "total" victory after a ceasefire with Iran. But critics say the deal is a fresh example of their maxim that the tough-talking US president always "chickens out."

In the space of 12 nerve-wracking hours, Trump went from warning that a "whole civilisation will die" to hailing that agreement as a big day for world peace.

The reality on the ground however showed a still shaky two-week ceasefire with a host of unanswered questions - not least about whether Trump had ever intended to follow through on his apocalyptic threats.

"President Trump is proving to be an increasingly unpredictable force and unreliable ally,"  Peter Loge, director of George Washington University's School of Media, told...