President Donald Trump said Thursday that any Iranian attack resulting in the deaths of American service members could quickly lead to renewed U.S. military action, underscoring the fragile nature of the current ceasefire with Tehran.
While speaking with reporters at the White House, Trump was asked whether the United States would return to war if Iran killed American troops. He responded, “Well, it would be a good reason. If they killed US troops, I think I would do that very quickly.”
His remarks came a day after a report in The Wall Street Journal revealed that, according to U.S. officials, Trump had privately informed advisers that he could abandon the ceasefire arrangement if Iran were responsible for American military casualties.
Q: Is killing US troops your red line for ending the ceasefire?
TRUMP: If they killed?
Q: US troops
TRUMP: What does that mean?
Q: That you would restart the war with Iran if they killed US troops
TRUMP: Well, it would be a good reason pic.twitter.com/g80TrBa90N
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 4, 2026
Those officials also maintained that the ceasefire remains in place despite recent hostilities. Tensions flared Tuesday night when U.S. forces carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, prompting Tehran to launch missiles and drones toward Kuwait in retaliation.
Addressing the possibility of a new agreement with Iran, Trump argued that policies pursued by Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama encouraged Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“The Obama deal, I terminated that or they would have had a nuclear…that was a road to a nuclear weapon. Our deal – if we make that deal and it’s going well but who knows – if we make that deal it’s the exact opposite. They will never have a nuclear weapon. I’m not going to let them have a nuclear weapon,” he stated.
Trump also dismissed the idea of undertaking a secret operation to capture Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. He said there was little value in pursuing what he described as “nuclear dust,” arguing that the material is effectively sealed away.
The president was also questioned about the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was announced Wednesday night. Pushing back against a reporter’s suggestion that Hezbollah had rejected the arrangement, Trump offered a different account.
“Hezbollah didn’t reject anything. They called us, and they said, ‘How about stopping?'” he said.
Trump went on to express hope that the conflict along Israel’s northern border could finally come to an end.
“Lebanon has been under attack for so many years and is always like an underdog. It would be really nice if it could end. I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu about that, and I speak to them about it and I actually spoke to Hezbollah about it.”