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Maher: Trump pushed Iran ceasefire to ‘save face’ as war crime concerns mount

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by Sarah Davis - 04/11/26 11:49 AM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 04/11/26 11:49 AM ET

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Comedian Bill Maher accused President Trump of agreeing to a two-week ceasefire with Iran to “save face.”

In his Friday evening monologue on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the late night host ridiculed Trump’s claim that the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading corridor, had been reopened during the temporary halt in fighting.

“Apparently, this agreement we have, we have to save face and not, you know, kill everybody in Iran by pretending that it’s open, although it’s kind of not,” Maher said.

The comedian’s comments follow stark threats from the president against Iran this week.

On Easter Sunday, Trump ordered Tehran to “Open the F‑‑‑in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” The president later warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not meet his administration’s demands by a Tuesday evening deadline.

Some ships have begun passing through the strait during this ceasefire period, and Tehran has started charging vessels the cryptocurrency equivalent of $1 per oil barrel on board.

The trading passage is critical for the global economy, as it carries around a fifth of the world’s oil consumption on a daily basis.

Trump, who had previously proposed a “joint venture” on these new tolls earlier this week, condemned the measure on Thursday.

“There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” Trump posted Thursday on Truth Social.

The strait’s effective closure has had negative impacts on the economy in the U.S. and around the world. The price of international standard Brent crude oil spiked as high at $118 per barrel, and the average price of a gallon of standard gas exceeded the $4 mark at the end of March.

The inflation rate increased by the largest margin in nearly four years in March, driven primarily by these increased fuel costs. Labor Department data showed energy costs rose by 10.9 percent last month, including increases by 30.7 percent for fuel oil prices, 21.2 percent for gasoline and 21.3 percent for fuel commodities.

The White House dismissed these numbers as “short-term disruptions” in a statement to NewsNation, The Hill’s broadcast partner, on Friday morning.

“As the Administration ensures the free flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz, the American economy remains on a solid trajectory thanks to the Administration’s robust supply-side agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said.

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