Trump says U.S. will 'work closely' with Iran amid confusion over ceasefire terms

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Gen. Dan Caine thanked regional partners, including Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, along with U.S. Troops for their service over the 38-day campaign.

He called Hegseth and Trump "the hardest working people that I know."

Caine said American joint forces struck more than 13,000 targets, adding the operation had "devastated the regime's ability to harm Americans and our interests for years to come."

Hegseth said Trump "showed mercy" by agreeing to the last-minute ceasefire Tuesday evening, but that the U.S. Was ready to launch back into combat if needed.

"We'll be hanging around. We're not going anywhere. We're going to make sure Iran complies with this ceasefire and then ultimately comes to the table and makes a deal," he said.

"We'll stay put, stay ready, stay vigilant," the secretary added. "Our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment's notice."

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is addressing reporters at the Pentagon, calling the operation a sweeping success and praising Trump for his "courage and resolve." 

Hegseth claimed Iran "begged for this ceasefire." 

He called Operation Epic Fury a "historic and overwhelming victory; a capital V military victory" and said the U.S. Rendered Iran's military "ineffective for years to come" within 40 days and used "less than 10 per cent" of its combat power. 

Hegseth insisted that the U.S. "achieved every single one of our military goals, on plan, on schedule," despite criticism that the Trump administration began the war with little strategy, resulting in the Strait of Hormuz's effective closure and skyrocketing oil prices. 

"The rest of the world and the rest of our so-called allies saw what real capabilities look like. They should take some notes," Hegseth said.

Reuters

Reviving shipping from the Gulf could take time: shipping companies will need assurances of safety before sailing.

Container shipper Maersk said it was ⁠not yet making changes.

"Any decision to transit the Strait of Hormuz will be based on continuous risk assessments, close monitoring of the security situation, and available guidance from relevant authorities and partners," the company said in a statement.

Anoop Singh, global head of shipping research at Oil Brokerage, said it should be expected that tankers and oil flowing to Iranian-friendly countries will be the first ones to transit the strait.

The Associated Press

There's little public sign that Iran and the United States had resolved disagreements over the fate of Iran's nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its regional proxies.

In addition to control of the strait, Iran's demands for ending the war are likely to be unpalatable for Washington. They include withdrawal of U.S. Combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.

The two-week ceasefire agreement will not stop Israel's parallel campaign in Lebanon, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday. 

Israel invaded Lebanon in March in pursuit of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah.

Netanyahu's comments contradict those of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said the agreement includes a total cessation of hostilities, specifically naming Lebanon.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that Israeli forces continued their assault across southern Lebanon.

An airstrike at dawn struck a building near a hospital, killing four people.

Israel's military issued ​repeated urgent warnings to residents that it planned to attack the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon.

Twenty-four hours after his incendiary threats, Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning that the U.S. Would "work closely with Iran." 

The U.S. President repeated his claim that the country's regime has changed, which several analysts say is not true.

"There will be no enrichment of uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust.'," Trump wrote, adding that "many of the 15 points have already been agreed to."

He said the U.S. Would discuss relieving its tariffs and sanctions on Iran.

Reuters

Crowds took to the streets of Iran overnight to celebrate, waving Iranian flags and burning flags of the United States and Israel. 

But there was also wariness the deal would not hold.

"Israel will not allow ​diplomacy to work and Trump might change his view tomorrow. But at least we can sleep tonight without strikes," Alireza, 29, a government employee in Tehran, told Reuters ⁠by phone.

Iran, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday evening, allowing U.S. President Donald Trump to step back from his threat that a "whole civilization" would die, and of a major bombing campaign. But fresh strikes in Iran and Gulf Arab countries on Wednesday cast doubt on the deal.

Key details remain unclear, with conflicting accounts from all sides. Iran suggested it could begin charging ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while Pakistan said the truce would extend to Lebanon — a claim Israel denied. The status of Iran's missile and nuclear programs also remains unresolved.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance called it a "fragile truce" as reports emerged of missile and drone attacks across the region, according to The Associated Press. In Tehran, pro-government protesters chanted against the U.S. And Israel.

Trump told the French news agency AFP that the ceasefire represented a "total and complete victory" and said on Truth Social that the U.S. Had achieved its military objectives.

The deal is subject to Iran's agreement to pause its blockade of oil and gas passing through the strait, Trump has said.

The Associated Press

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel backed the U.S. Ceasefire with Iran but that the deal doesn't cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement Wednesday that Israel supported U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping all attacks on the U.S., Israel, and countries in the region.

His office said Israel also supports U.S. Efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear or missile threat. 

Netanyahu’s statement appears to contradict a comment Tuesday from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said the ceasefire extends to Israel and Hezbollah halting fighting in Lebanon.

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