Trump signals restraint on Iran, but warns American troop deaths could end ceasefire.”
US President Donald Trump has privately told aides that he would consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if Tehran kills American troops, according to a report cited by The Wall Street Journal.
US officials maintain that the ceasefire remains in place despite a series of dangerous flare-ups, including reported American strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island and Iranian missile and drone launches toward Kuwait. The latest incidents have tested Washington’s willingness to preserve the fragile pause while negotiations continue.
According to the report, Trump is reluctant to restart a wider war and may be prepared to tolerate limited clashes for weeks, or even months, if doing so prevents a broader regional conflict. The approach reflects a calculated effort to keep military pressure on Iran while leaving room for a diplomatic breakthrough.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said negotiations with Tehran were “going very well” and suggested that a deal could be finalized within days. He said Iran was “close” to signing an agreement and repeated his demand that Tehran’s enriched uranium be transferred into US hands.
Asked whether the ceasefire still stands after Iran’s overnight attack toward Kuwait, Trump replied, “There’s a reason for everything, and we hit them pretty hard,” while cautioning that “anything can happen when you are dealing with Iran.”
Trump also rejected reports that US-Iran talks had stalled. In a Truth Social post, he insisted that conversations with Tehran had continued daily and said it was time for Iran to make a decision.
“Where they lead, one never knows,” Trump wrote, adding that Iran has been pursuing the same path for “47 years” and that it “cannot be allowed to go on any longer.”
The comments came after Iranian media claimed Tehran had suspended indirect talks with Washington, citing Israel’s expanding military operations in Lebanon. Recent US-mediated efforts have also focused on reducing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israel and Lebanon agreeing to implement a ceasefire framework even as violence has continued to challenge the arrangement.
For now, the US position appears to be one of guarded restraint: keeping the ceasefire alive, continuing nuclear talks, and warning Tehran that the killing of American troops would cross a red line.
