OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
8:31 AM – Thursday, April 9, 2026
President Donald Trump said that all U.S. military personnel and assets will remain in the Middle East until a permanent agreement has been reached between Iran and the U.S. over the two-week ceasefire period.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday night, Trump stated, “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.”
The U.S. and Iran halted military actions on Tuesday evening just before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face “Hell.”
For two weeks, both countries will engage in mediated talks to whittle down a more permanent peace plan based on Washington’s 15-point proposal and Tehran’s 10-point proposal.
Trump believes, per his social media post, that it is highly unlikely that the “real agreement” will be violated. But if Iran fails to comply, he warned, “then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.”
“NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE,” Trump asserted, reiterating the United States’ two main goals of Operation Epic Fury.
He also expressed his confidence in U.S. military capability, which he reinforced during his first term, and teased another “conquest” in the future.
“In the meantime, our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest,” said the president. “AMERICA IS BACK!”
Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signaled earlier on Wednesday that U.S. forces would be “ready” to pick up their efforts if needed.
“A cease-fire is a pause and the joint force remains ready if ordered or called upon to resume combat operations with the same speed and precision as we’ve demonstrated over the last 38 days,” Caine told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. “And we hope that that is not the case.”
The White House announced on Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance would take part in in-person negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday. The delegation also includes Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former aide, and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to mediate the discussions in the capital city of Islamabad.
The ceasefire agreement came on the 39th day of the conflict, which started with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s capital city, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many of his government officials and family members. President Trump has 60 days to carry out a military operation before he must get Congressional approval to continue combat.
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