US military assets to stay in and around Iran until real agreement is reached: Trump

Trump said that if the final agreement between Washington and Tehran is not reached, then the US forces might launch larger attacks on Iran.

In Short

• Trump threatens Iran despite two-week ceasefire
• US forces to remain in and around Iran until full agreement
• Israel continues strikes on Hezbollah, excluding them from ceasefire

Amid the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, President Donald Trump issued fresh threats against Tehran on Thursday. Taking to Truth Social, Trump said that US forces would stay in and around Iran until the two nations reached the final agreement.

"All US 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," Trump posted on Truth Social.

In his post, Trump reminded Iran that it was promised that the Strait of Hormuz would be fully operational, and the country would not develop any nuclear weapons as part of the truce conditions. He hinted that any violation of these clauses might lead to a larger and "never-before-seen" US attack.

"If, for any reason, it is not (the final agreement), which is highly unlikely, then the 'Shootin’ Starts,” bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before," the post read.

COMPLICATIONS OVER CEASEFIRE

Meanwhile, tension prevails across the Middle East despite the ceasefire being agreed between Washington and Tehran.

Moments after the truce was reached, Tel Aviv launched massive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming that Hezbollah was not included in the ceasefire pact. The strikes have killed more than 250 people since Wednesday.

"The ceasefire with Iran will not include Hezbollah, and Israel will continue to strike them," he said, signalling that military operations against the Lebanon-linked group would continue.

As the strikes continue in Lebanon, complications have started to boom over the future of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest energy corridors. It is unclear whether the Strait of Hormuz is fully open for ships, with reports last night saying that Iran had shut the crucial waterway over Israeli attacks on Lebanon, something that Tehran believed violated its ceasefire agreement with the US.

- Ends