Ceasefire Day 8: U.S. Sending Thousands More Troops to Mideast, per Reports

A two-week ceasefire to the Iran War entered its eighth day on Wednesday one day after President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he believes the war is “very close to over.”

“We’re not finished,” Trump added. “We’ll see what happens.”

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the U.S. will send thousands of additional troops into the Middle East in the coming weeks. The forces include 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and several warships escorting it, as well as 4,200 other servicemembers. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Post that Trump “has wisely kept all options on the table in the event that the Iranians will not forgo their nuclear ambitions and make a deal that is acceptable to the United States.”

Dismissing Western reporting that Iran would consider a temporary suspension of its uranium enrichment as part of a deal to end the war, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Wednesday that Tehran would not compromise on its right to enrich uranium.

Baqaei added that message exchanges with the U.S. have continued through Pakistani intermediaries since Sunday and that Iran expects to host a Pakistani delegation today to continue talks. On the topic of a ceasefire extension, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the seriousness of the U.S. must first be evaluated, arguing that Washington has not yet demonstrated its commitment. 

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that mediators are close to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, but neither Tehran nor Washington have confirmed the report.

The head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, said in a statement on Tuesday that a military blockade of Iranian ports had been implemented. In a Wednesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump said that “China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz,” claiming that he is “doing it for them” and for “the World.” 

“President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,” he added, referring to a scheduled trip by Trump to China.

The commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters warned that, if the blockade continues, Iran will prevent all passage through the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea.

Thirteen vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, according to shipping tracker data, suggesting limited enforcement of the U.S. blockade.

Marin Traffic reported on Wednesday morning that the Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I had become the first crude carrier to head west through the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports came into force. It is expected to arrive in Basrah, Iraq on Thursday.

At least 13 people in Lebanon were killed by Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday morning, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon has continued throughout the U.S.–Iran ceasefire, which Tehran says violates the terms of the truce.

Gas prices remained elevated on Wednesday, with AAA reporting the national average price of gas at $4.11.

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