Fresh tensions surround the Iran ceasefire as the US signals military readiness and rejects claims about Lebanon’s inclusion in the deal.
‘US clearing Strait of Hormuz as a favour to the world,’ says Trump; targets other nations for ‘lack of courage’
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) warned that American military deployments around Iran will stay in place until a “real agreement” is fully honoured, raising the stakes as a fragile ceasefire comes under pressure.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said US forces, along with additional weapons and ammunition, will remain positioned in and around Iran. He added that if the agreement is not followed, the response would be swift and far more intense.
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“All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with. If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the “Shootin’ Starts,” bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” he said.
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The President also repeated that Iran will not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and insisted that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open and secure.
“It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!”
Trump sharply criticised sections of the US media, accusing them of spreading what he called a “fake” ten-point plan linked to Iran negotiations.
“The Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN each reported a totally FAKE TEN POINT PLAN on the Iran negotiations which was meant to discredit the people involved in the peace process. All ten points were a made up HOAX – EVIL LOSERS!!! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the charge, saying reports suggesting the US had accepted an Iranian proposal were incorrect.
She said Iran had initially shared a plan that was “fundamentally unserious” and was immediately rejected by the US negotiating team.
“I’ve seen a lot of inaccurate coverage today from the media about these negotiations and these plans already, so let me be clear and correct the record. The Iranians originally put forward a 10-point plan that was fundamentally unserious, unacceptable, and completely discarded. It was literally thrown in the garbage by President Trump and his negotiating team. Many outlets in this room have falsely reported on that plan as being acceptable to the United States, and that is false,” she said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance made it clear that Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire framework, contradicting earlier claims from Pakistan.
Speaking before leaving Hungary, Vance said the agreement was focused on Iran and US allies such as Israel and Gulf countries.
“We never made that promise. We never indicated that was going to be the case. What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran and the ceasefire would be focused on America’s allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states.”
His remarks effectively dismissed claims by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Lebanon was included in the deal. The position has also been backed by both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The developments have also cast a shadow on Pakistan’s role in the ceasefire process.
A Financial Times report suggested that Islamabad was not acting as an independent mediator but was instead used by Washington to relay proposals to Tehran. The report said the US relied on Pakistan as a channel, with key negotiations led by army chief Asim Munir, who held direct talks with senior US officials.
Prime Minister Sharif, who publicly spoke about the ceasefire early on, appeared to have limited involvement. His social media post announcing the development also drew attention after it mistakenly included a “draft” label, raising questions about coordination.
On the ground, the situation remains tense. Reports of Israeli strikes in Lebanon have added to uncertainty around the ceasefire.
According to Al Jazeera, Lebanon observed a day of mourning after a wave of attacks killed at least 254 people and injured more than 1,165 in a single day.
Israel has said it will continue operations in southern Lebanon to target Hezbollah infrastructure. Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said the objective remains to eliminate the group’s presence in the region.
The continuing violence has complicated efforts to stabilise the ceasefire, even as diplomatic talks are expected to move forward in the coming days.
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