Tensions Unresolved, US Maintains Military Presence Around Iran
US President Donald Trump has emphasised that his country’s military strength remains on standby around Iran, even after both sides announced a ceasefire agreement.
In a post on the Truth Social platform on Thursday (9/4), Trump stated that this readiness is a precautionary step in case the agreement does not proceed as planned.
“All US Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, along with Ammunition, Weaponry, and everything appropriate and necessary for the deadly prosecution and destruction of an already greatly weakened Enemy, will remain in and around Iran until the actual Agreement that has been reached is fully complied with,” he wrote, as reported by CNN on Thursday (9/4).
He also warned that the United States is prepared to take even greater steps if the ceasefire fails.
“If for any reason that does not happen, which is highly unlikely, then the shooting starts, bigger, better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” Trump continued.
Trump stressed that this position was planned from the outset, regardless of various emerging narratives.
He reiterated Washington’s primary objectives: halting Iran’s nuclear programme and ensuring that global energy trade routes remain open, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz.
“No nuclear weapons and the Strait of Hormuz will be open and safe,” he asserted.
In the same statement, Trump also noted that the US military is currently in a state of alert while awaiting further developments.
“America will return,” he wrote to conclude the statement.
Previously, the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday (7/4) after more than a month of conflict. Further discussions on a long-term agreement are scheduled to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 10 April.
Pakistan, as mediator, stated that the ceasefire also covers allies of both parties, including Lebanon, though it did not specify Israel’s position in the agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for Trump’s decision but rejected the notion that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire’s scope.
Less than 24 hours after the agreement’s announcement, Israel launched a major attack on Lebanon, killing at least 245 people and injuring thousands more.
In response, Iran expressed its fury and assessed that the United States had violated three key points of the agreement: the attack on Lebanon, the entry of drones into Iranian airspace, and Washington’s rejection of Teheran’s right to uranium enrichment.