President Donald Trump has privately told aides he would consider resuming bombing campaigns against Iran under one specific condition, and it has the fragile ceasefire teetering on the edge.
Trump privately told aides he would consider ending the ceasefire if Tehran becomes responsible for the deaths of American troops, according to U.S. officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. The president has signaled a willingness to tolerate smaller military flare-ups for weeks or even months rather than risk a broader conflict.
The leak comes as the ceasefire — originally signed April 7 as a two-week pause and later extended indefinitely — faces its most serious test yet. On Tuesday, U.S. forces struck and disabled an Iranian-linked oil tanker, prompting Iranian drone attacks on Gulf shipping and U.S. airstrikes on Iranian military sites on Qeshm Island. The escalation peaked Wednesday when Iran launched its largest barrage since the truce began, firing missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain, temporarily shutting Kuwait's international airport and causing casualties.
Trump addressed reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday with a characteristic shrug.
“In that part of the world, ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner,” Trump said.
He claimed the situation was under control and peace talks were progressing.
“It takes two to tango. We hit them very hard on something else and so they were responding,” he said.
Experts warn the cycle of retaliation is making the ceasefire increasingly unstable, with each side feeling compelled to respond to avoid appearing weak. Meanwhile, the House voted this week to invoke war powers to end the conflict entirely, with four Republicans breaking ranks to pass the measure.
Steve Bannon captured the growing sense of alarm among Trump's own allies, according to the Daily Beast.
"Is this how MAGA ends — with a whimper, not a bang?"
