Iran ceasefire deal frays as attacks continue; Trump’s peace terms remain unclear
WASHINGTON— A day after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, the temporary ceasefire showed the first signs of tension as ongoing attacks in the region emerged and reports emerged that Iran had moved to restrict traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The developments tested President Trump’s ability to turn a fragile pause in the fight into a permanent peace deal with a country he has threatened for weeks to destroy and raised questions about whether the Trump administration has the diplomatic muscle to pursue the deal.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House sought to project confidence in separate press briefings on Wednesday, warning Iran to keep up its end of the bargain or face the consequences.
Hegseth stated that the US military plans to maintain its presence in the region to ensure Iran’s obedience, and said that if the ceasefire is broken, American troops are ready to “attack immediately and restart operations”.
“We’ll hang around,” he said. “We will ensure that Iran abides by this ceasefire and eventually comes to the table and makes a deal.”
The warning came as many Gulf countries reported Iranian missile and drone attacks on their territory despite a ceasefire remaining in effect. Kuwait said its air defenses intercepted the drones, while Bahrain said the Iranian attack caused a fire at one of its facilities.
Hegseth downplayed Iran’s ongoing offensives in the region, saying ceasefires “sometimes take time” to take effect, but advised Iran to “find a way to send a homing pigeon to its troops in remote areas” and ensure compliance going forward.
Israel added to the regional turmoil on Wednesday, launching its biggest attack against Hezbollah since the militant group began firing rockets in solidarity with Iran last month. Lebanese health officials said hundreds of people were killed and injured in the attacks.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that Lebanon was not subject to agreed-upon terms to cease hostilities.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped broker the ceasefire, wrote in X that ceasefire violations had been reported “at several points in the conflict zone” and called on all parties to exercise restraint. He did not give details of the violations but said the attacks “undermine the spirit of the peace process.”
According to Fars News, an Iranian news source affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, regional instability appears to have prompted the Iranian Navy to restrict traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that is key to opening in ceasefire negotiations.
According to the Fars News report, the Navy told the transport ships, “Any ship that attempts to go to sea will be targeted and destroyed.”
At a news conference on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was aware of media reports that the Strait of Hormuz was being closed and called the move both “completely unacceptable” and “wrong.” He added that the president’s expectation is for the waterway to “immediately, quickly and safely reopen.”
Hegseth told reporters earlier in the day that “trade will flow through the Strait of Hormuz” once the ceasefire comes into effect. But Leavitt sidestepped questions about who currently has control of the oil route.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz shows how uncertain the agreement between the United States and Iran is. The full terms of the ceasefire have not been made public, and Trump wrote on Truth Social that “the only meaningful set of ‘POINTS’ acceptable to the United States will be discussed behind closed doors.”
Trump also appeared to object to Iran’s 10-point peace plan, which was made public on Wednesday. He said the terms were put forward by people who had “absolutely nothing to do” with negotiations between the United States and Iran. “In many cases, these are totals,” he said. Scammers, Charlatans and WORSE.”
Leavitt declined to provide details about the negotiated employment proposal, saying the talks would take place privately. But both Leavitt and Hegseth said the United States wants to ensure that Iran does not have stockpiles of enriched uranium, the fissile material that is key to developing nuclear weapons.
“This is at the top of the priority list for the president and the negotiating team as we enter the next round of negotiations,” Leavitt said.
Hegseth had told reporters earlier in the day that Iran “could deliver this.” If they don’t, Hegseth said: We’ll take it out, or if we have to do something else ourselves like we did [with] “We’re reserving that opportunity for Midnight Hammer or something like that.”
Leavitt reiterated that administration officials “hope this will happen through diplomacy” but left open the possibility that it could be undone by ground operations.
