Iran warns it is ready to ‘teach a lesson’ as Trump questions ceasefire

Iran’s parliament speaker warned of a military response to any aggression after Trump said the Iran ceasefire was “on life support.”.

Iran’s parliament speaker warned that the country’s armed forces are prepared to “teach a lesson” to any aggressor, sharpening tensions after President Trump said the Iran ceasefire was “on life support” following Tehran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal.

The exchange underscored how fragile the pause in fighting remains, with Washington and Tehran still at odds over nuclear terms and regional violence continuing to test the wider truce. The immediate path forward was not clear Tuesday, and U.S. officials signaled they were preparing for several possible outcomes.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, said on social media Monday: “Our armed forces are ready to respond and to teach a lesson for any aggression.” He added that “bad strategy and bad decisions always lead to bad results.”

Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, rejected Iran’s latest response as weak and said he had not finished reading it. “I would say it’s one of the weakest, right now, it’s on life support,” he said of the ceasefire.

The president also said Iran had indicated it would allow the United States to help remove highly enriched uranium, but then left that condition out of its written proposal. Iran has not publicly agreed to give up its enriched uranium and has long said its nuclear program is peaceful and intended for energy, medical and research purposes.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a House appropriations subcommittee Tuesday that the Pentagon has plans to escalate, pull back or shift assets if needed. He declined to discuss possible next steps in public, citing the seriousness of the mission and the administration’s stated goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The confrontation is also rippling across the region. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to the United Arab Emirates to help defend it during the Iran war. The UAE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the acknowledgment, according to the report.

In Lebanon, state media reported that Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded seven in the southern town of Kfar Dounine, as fighting continued despite a ceasefire agreement. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the group’s weapons were not part of upcoming Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington and vowed continued resistance against Israel.

For now, the central question is whether the U.S. and Iran can return to a workable negotiating track, or whether the fraying ceasefire gives way to renewed military action.