Donald Trump's dramatic climbdown from his ⁠chilling threat to wipe out Iran's civilization has exposed the limits — and the rising risks — of the U.S. president's typically unpredictable negotiating style, Reuters reported. 

His decision on Tuesday to back down and agree to a two-week ceasefire — which critics mockingly called another example of "TACO,” or "Trump always chickens out” — marked the biggest step so far toward de-escalating a 40-day-old war that has shaken the Middle East and disrupted global energy markets.

But Trump’s claims of victory over Iran overlooked questions about the effectiveness of mixing maximalist demands, erratic rhetoric and increasingly extreme threats.