Trump says he won’t end ceasefire unless Iran attacks kill US troops

US President Donald Trump has told his aides privately that he will not end a ceasefire with Iran unless Tehran kills American troops, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday citing US officials.

Trump's reluctance to reignite the conflict with Iran suggested that he might be willing to "withstand smaller flare-ups for weeks -- or even months -- to avoid a broader conflict in the Middle East," the report said.

This week, the US and Iran exchanged some of their most intense hostilities since the ceasefire took effect in early April. Iran launched missiles and drones targeting US military installations across the region as well as Kuwait International Airport, resulting in one fatality.

The dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted global energy markets and international shipping. Tehran has restricted commercial transit through the strategic waterway, while Washington has enforced a stringent blockade on Iranian ports.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the reciprocal strikes as defensive measures rather than a return to full-scale conflict.

"They are happening in response to an Iranian action," Rubio said in a House hearing Wednesday. "If they don't shoot at those ships, we don't shoot, but we have to respond."

However, the report pointed out that repeated attacks have "ratcheted up pressure on Trump and cast doubt over the long-term viability of the ceasefire."

Trump has repeatedly said that he is very close to signing an end-of-war agreement that reopens the strait, dismantles Iran's nuclear work and eliminates the country's stockpile of enriched uranium.