Trump Warns US Forces Will Remain Near Iran, Threatens Renewed Military Action
By Tahir Shah :
US President Donald Trump has said American military forces will remain stationed around Iran and warned that military action could resume if Tehran fails to fully comply with the terms of a recently reached agreement.
In a message posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Mr Trump said US ships, aircraft and military personnel, along with additional weapons and ammunition, would stay deployed in and around Iran until the agreement with Washington was fully implemented.
He warned that if the deal was not honoured, the United States would respond with renewed military force. “If for any reason it is not complied with, then the shooting starts again — bigger, better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” the president wrote.
The remarks came as tensions persisted despite the announcement of a two-week truce between the United States and Iran on Tuesday, intended to create space for negotiations aimed at ending the conflict that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February.
Disagreements over Iran’s nuclear programme quickly emerged as a key sticking point. Mr Trump said Iran had agreed to halt uranium enrichment, while Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf insisted the country would continue enriching uranium under the terms of the ceasefire arrangement.
The US president also reiterated that the agreement required Iran to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remained open and secure for global shipping while preventing the development of nuclear weapons.
Iranian officials, however, signalled growing frustration with the diplomatic process. Tehran said it would be unreasonable to continue negotiations for a permanent peace deal after Israel launched its heaviest strikes yet on Lebanon on Wednesday.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 182 people were killed and nearly 900 injured in the latest attacks, which targeted several areas including densely populated parts of central Beirut.
Human rights groups condemned the escalation. Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said civilians were bearing the brunt of the violence and warned that the situation was becoming increasingly devastating.
Israel maintained that its military campaign against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon was separate from the US-Iran truce. The position was echoed by US Vice President JD Vance, who said the ceasefire agreement with Tehran did not include developments in Lebanon.
Iranian officials nonetheless suggested that the continued strikes could undermine negotiations. Mr Ghalibaf said the conditions for dialogue had already been violated, making further talks difficult.
The fragile ceasefire was agreed just hours before the expiry of a deadline set by President Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept the terms of a deal or face severe consequences.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to take a heavy toll across the region. Lebanese authorities say more than 1,700 people have been killed since Israel launched air strikes and a ground offensive against Hezbollah last month, raising fears that the wider Middle East crisis could escalate further despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
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