President Trump late Wednesday warned that he will authorize more substantial strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic does not reach and comply with an agreement to end the conflict.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“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 added. “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.”
The president continued, “In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!”
The Trump administration and Iranian officials agreed Tuesday on a two-week ceasefire mediated by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his army chief Asim Munir. The president announced the agreement less than two hours before the 8 p.m. EDT deadline he set for the Iranian military to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump threatened that a “whole civilization” would die in Iran, a country of roughly 93 million people, if a deal was not reached. On Easter Day, he vowed to authorize strikes on infrastructure and energy targets if Tehran did not agree to his demands.
Intentional attacks on civilians not taking part in hostilities and civilian objects that are not military targets are considered war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which the former President Clinton signed into law in 2000. The Senate, though, has not ratified the treaty.
U.S. and Iranian officials will meet in Islamabad, Pakistan, this weekend, with the American delegation led by Vice President Vance, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
Roughly five ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours, down significantly from the typical daily average of 60 vessels, according to hormuzstraitmonitor.com. That is despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying Wednesday that the passageway is open.
The fragile ceasefire is also in jeopardy as the Iranian regime pushes back on Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
