President Trump declared that the U.S. military is gearing up and preparing for its “next conquest,” while vowing to maintain a presence in the Middle East. He warned of a more powerful retaliation against Iran if no agreement is reached.

On Tuesday, Trump, along with leaders from Iran and Israel, agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire. Representatives from these nations are expected to convene in Islamabad, Pakistan, this Saturday to seek a resolution to the ongoing conflict.

In the midst of these developments, Lebanon endured its most intense bombardment from Israel, resulting in 182 fatalities and injuring 800 people. This attack has incited outrage from Iran.

Iran has condemned the assault as a “massacre,” claiming it breaches the ceasefire terms and raising concerns that Tehran might abandon the peace negotiations.

In an attempt to forge peace, Iran unveiled a purported ten-point plan, which includes demands for control over the Strait of Hormuz and rights to enrich uranium.

Trump, however, criticized the proposal and warned of harsher measures, asserting that U.S. troops will remain stationed in the region during the discussions.

‘All US Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal persecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT is fully complied with,’ he wrote in a Truth Social post late Wednesday night.

‘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.’

Trump also denied Iranian claims that a peace deal would include the country’s right to enrich uranium.

‘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 AND SAFE.’

Trump threatened to strike Iran ‘bigger, and better and stronger’ if authorities cannot reach an agreement on the country’s nuclear program and control of the vital Strait of Hormuz

‘In the meantime, our great Military is Loading up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest.’

The post came just about an hour after the president slammed reports about Iran’s 10-point plan.

‘The Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN each reported a totally FAKE TEN POINT PLAN on the Iran negotiations which was meant to discredit the people involved in the peace process,’ he claimed. 

‘All ten points were a made up HOAX – EVIL LOSERS!!! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.’

The Trump administration had been facing backlash all day over the ceasefire and Iran’s 10-point plan, which even some of the president’s staunchest allies have argued concedes too much to the Iranian regime. 

Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, for example, said Trump had secured ‘significant victories’ but expressed skepticism over the peace talks and the president’s claims of ‘total victory.’

‘The government’s still in place and we should be negotiating from a position of strength, not a position that’s good for them,’ he told CNN.

‘They will work with Russia and China as soon as they can to start rebuilding their military. And they will be a threat five, six, seven, eight years down the road. And so, as long as this government’s in place, total victory has not been earned.’

Mark Levin, a pro-Israel commentator with close ties to Trump, also said that while he trusts the President’s ‘instincts,’ the Iranians could not be trusted. 

‘This enemy is still the enemy; they’re still surviving,’ he said of Iran.

Amid the backlash, the president walked back his statement that the 10-point plan was a ‘workable basis on which to negotiate.’

A White House official has since claimed the points in the released plan did not match what Trump had in mind.

But Trump later seemed to contradict his own team, saying most points had ‘been fully negotiated’ while leaving the door open to resuming strikes if the deal fell apart as the ceasefire began with a rocky start.

Iran reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli attacks on the regime’s proxy terror groups in Lebanon, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

It reported that two tankers were allowed through the strait Wednesday morning as the two-week ceasefire began, but operations were suspended ‘simultaneous with Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.’ 

Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Israel’s strikes against Lebanon were ‘grave violation’ of the ceasefire agreement. 

He said that Tehran had told the White House overnight: ‘You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. 

‘You cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept terms and conditions, accept all the areas that a ceasefire is applied to, and name Lebanon, exactly Lebanon in that, and then your ally just starts a massacre.’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the claims, as she agreed with Israeli officials that ‘Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire.’

Smoke rises from an explosion in the Abbasiyeh neighbourhood following an Israeli strike, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 8

First responders stand amid rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood on April 8

Firefighters spray smoldering debris at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck a building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8

Hezbollah later announced that it had retaliated against Israel with a rocket salvo, saying that its attacks would continue until Israeli strikes end, arguing they are a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Lebanese officials said at least 182 were killed and 890 wounded in the attacks. 

Meanwhile, Iran threatened to destroy oil tankers if they try to travel through the Strait without permission, as the regime has imposed a toll of up to $2 million per vessel.

Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, a critical artery routing crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea, also came under drone attack at 1pm local time, while Kuwaiti officials said its air defenses intercepted 28 drones in sustained attacks targeting oil facilities, power plants and water desalination infrastructure.

Despite the setbacks, North Atlantic Treaty Organization chief Mark Rutte praised Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire as he discussed his meeting with the president on CNN Wednesday.

Anchor Jake Tapper asked the NATO Secretary-General whether he believed the world is safer today than before the war started at the end of February.

‘Absolutely,’ Rutte replied. ‘This is thanks to President Trump’s leadership.’

Trump, on the other hand, hit out at the alliance for its failure to intervene in the war in Iran, despite his repeated requests for NATO member nations to send warships to the area to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He was expected to bring up the possibility of the US leaving the treaty organization in his meeting with Rutte, Leavitt said earlier in the day.

‘Withdrawing from NATO… is something that the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with [Rutte] and perhaps you’ll hear directly from the president following that meeting,’ she told reporters.

The press secretary added that she thought it was ‘quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks, when it’s the American people who have been funding their defense.’ 

Trump’s meeting with Rutte did not seem to assuage his concerns, as he later lashed out at the alliance on social media.

‘NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,’ the president posted on his Truth Social media platform, hours after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt relayed his message that NATO was ‘tested and failed.’

He then seemed to make a veiled threat about Greenland, a territory he has repeatedly sought to take over. 

‘REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE.’ 

The president is now reportedly considering punishing NATO member nations that did not help with the war effort. 

Still, a spokesperson for NATO told the Daily Mail that Rutte and Trump ‘had a frank discussion on a range of issues related to our shared security, including in the context of Iran.’

‘The Secretary General underscored the importance of Allies continuing to step up to deliver a stronger, fairer Alliance,’ the spokesperson said.