President Donald Trump has reportedly told senior aides that he would be prepared to abandon the current ceasefire with Iran if American service members are killed by Iranian forces, according to a report published Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal.

Despite that warning, U.S. officials told the newspaper that the ceasefire remains in effect, even after a new round of hostilities this week. Those incidents included American strikes Tuesday night on Iran’s Qeshm Island and an Iranian response involving missiles and drones launched toward Kuwait.

The report suggests that Trump is still seeking to avoid a wider war in the region and may be willing to tolerate limited exchanges between the two sides rather than immediately return to full-scale conflict. Officials indicated that the president appears prepared to endure smaller confrontations for an extended period if doing so helps prevent a broader regional war.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump struck an optimistic tone regarding ongoing negotiations with Tehran and suggested an agreement could be close at hand.

“I hear the negotiations with Iran are going very well. If a deal happens with Iran it could be done over the weekend,” Trump told reporters, adding that Iran is “close” to signing the papers.

Trump also said he wants Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium transferred to U.S. control and expressed confidence that such a move could occur soon.

When asked whether the ceasefire remained intact following Iran’s overnight attack on Kuwait, Trump replied, “There’s a reason for everything, and we hit them pretty hard”, while also acknowledging that “anything can happen when you are dealing with Iran.”

The president’s comments came a day after he pushed back against reports claiming that negotiations between Washington and Tehran had broken down.

In a post published Tuesday on Truth Social, Trump said discussions with Iran had continued uninterrupted and insisted that recent reports suggesting otherwise were inaccurate.

“Fake News Reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the U.S.A., stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous,” wrote Trump.

He added, “The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today. Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!’”

Trump’s remarks followed reports in Iranian media claiming that Tehran had suspended indirect talks with the United States because of Israel’s expanding military operations in Lebanon. The president’s statements directly contradicted those reports and underscored his administration’s position that negotiations remain active.

{Matzav.com}