The top U.S. general said on Wednesday U.S. troops stood ready to resume fighting if Tehran failed to strike a negotiated settlement as the Trump administration sought to portray the war as a decisive victory against Iran, Reuters reported.
The remarks came a day after President Donald Trump from the brink of a threatened civilization-ending assault on Iran on Tuesday night, two hours before a deadline he had set for Tehran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. U.S. and Iranian officials are set to meet in Pakistan for talks on Friday.
"We hope that Iran chooses a lasting peace," General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon news conference.
"A ceasefire 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."
Despite the ceasefire, Saudi Arabia's crucial East-West oil pipeline, currently its only outlet for crude exports, was hit in an Iranian attack. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones over the past few hours while Kuwait said a number of facilities were attacked by Iranian drones.
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