Iran cast doubt on the newly announced 14‑day truce with the United States hours after President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire late Tuesday, warning Washington to choose between honouring the deal or facing “continued war via Israel.”
Iranian foreign ministry officials said Tehran had accepted a pause in hostilities but insisted the agreement must include a halt to Israeli military operations, a condition that the United States and Israel have rejected, saying the temporary halt applies only to direct US‑Iran hostilities and not to fighting in Lebanon.
Renewed missile launches and air raid alerts across parts of the Middle East within hours of the truce underscored how fragile and contested the ceasefire remains.
Trump said the deal requires the US to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran. In return, Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House described the truce as a suspension of US military action. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council accepted the terms, according to Iranian state media.
The agreement came after weeks of conflict. Trump had warned that Iran must reopen the strait or face severe consequences.
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White House officials said traffic through the strait increased on Wednesday following the announcement.
Israel Strikes Lebanon, Killing 254
Hours after the ceasefire was announced, Israel launched its largest wave of strikes on Lebanon since the war began. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported 254 people killed and hundreds wounded in a single day on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would continue to strike Hezbollah, stating that Lebanon was not covered by the US-Iran deal.
The White House backed Israel’s position. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement. Trump described the situation in Lebanon as a “separate skirmish.”
Fake Ceasefire?
Iran rejected the US and Israeli position. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi released a statement on X on Wednesday. He said the ceasefire terms include Lebanon and that Israeli attacks violate the agreement.
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“The Iran-US ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the US must choose, ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” Araghchi wrote. “The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the US court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a warning through state media. It said that if attacks on Lebanon do not stop, Iran will respond.
The ceasefire, announced less than 24 hours earlier, now faces an immediate test. The US and Iran hold different views on what the deal covers. Israel has already acted on its interpretation, while Iran has threatened to end the truce.
Talks between the two sides are scheduled to begin in Pakistan on Saturday. Whether the agreement holds depends on how the US responds to Iran’s demand and whether fighting in Lebanon stops.
