The Trump administration will keep U.S. forces in the Middle East during the next phase of negotiations with Iran, even after announcing a signed memorandum intended to extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and set the stage for a broader agreement.
Senior U.S. officials said Monday that the current military posture will remain in place during the 60-day negotiating period. The decision reflects Washington’s continued caution toward Tehran and the unresolved details of a deal that Trump has described as a major diplomatic breakthrough.
“The plan is to keep the current force posture during the 60-day negotiations,” one senior U.S. official told reporters, according to reports. The official said the administration hopes to draw down forces eventually, but not before Iran takes verifiable steps under the agreement.
The Pentagon has recently maintained one of its largest Middle East deployments in more than two decades, with roughly 50,000 U.S. troops in the region at the height of the confrontation. Publicly available tracking also indicated that carrier strike groups remained in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
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The military presence is meant to reassure allies, deter Iranian action and keep pressure on Tehran while negotiators work through the most difficult parts of the deal.
U.S. officials said President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have signed the memorandum of understanding. A formal signing ceremony is still expected later this week, while officials said the agreement’s details could be released publicly within 24 to 48 hours.
For now, the deal appears to do three main things: extend the ceasefire, create a 60-day negotiation window and begin reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
But the broader settlement remains unfinished. Officials said sanctions relief, frozen Iranian funds and any long-term U.S. military drawdown will depend on Iranian compliance and verification, not promises alone.
That point has become especially important because U.S. and Iranian descriptions of the agreement differ. Iranian officials and state-linked media have suggested the framework could lead to the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds. U.S. officials pushed back, saying no frozen assets have been released so far.
“The very simple fact is, $0 of unfrozen assets have been released by the United States or any other country,” one U.S. official said, according to reports.
The administration said any early economic steps would be limited and reciprocal. In other words, Washington may offer small gestures if Iran makes its own verified moves, but larger sanctions relief would come only as part of a final agreement.
That cautious approach shows why the troop presence is staying in place. Trump has praised the agreement as a turning point, but his administration is still treating Iran as a potential threat until the terms are tested.
The Strait of Hormuz is the deal’s most immediate economic issue. The waterway normally carries a major share of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Its closure and the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports helped push up energy prices and raised fears of a wider regional war.
U.S. officials said the memorandum provides for the strait to reopen without tolls during the negotiating period. They also said commercial shipping could take days or weeks to return to normal, as mines are cleared, insurers reassess risk and shipping companies regain confidence in the route.
Oil prices fell after the agreement was announced, reflecting market hopes that energy flows through Hormuz will increase. But the shipping recovery may be gradual, and any sign that the ceasefire is breaking down could quickly reverse that optimism.
The nuclear issue remains the most difficult part of the deal. Trump has said Iran must not develop, acquire or rebuild a nuclear weapons capability. U.S. officials said the broader agreement will require verifiable steps to ensure Tehran does not restore its nuclear program.
Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons, but its enriched uranium stockpile and underground facilities remain central concerns for Washington, Israel and European governments.
The agreement also touches regional security. U.S. officials said future relief would depend not only on nuclear steps, but also on whether Iran reduces support for terrorism and regional instability. Tehran is likely to resist language it views as limiting its regional influence, especially regarding allied groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere.
That makes the 60-day period a test of whether both sides can move from a ceasefire framework to a durable settlement.
For Trump, keeping troops in place allows him to present the deal as diplomacy backed by strength. The administration can argue that it stopped the fighting without immediately giving up leverage.
For Iran, the deal offers a path toward economic relief and renewed shipping access, but only if Tehran can secure terms that it can defend at home.
The risk is that both governments are selling different versions of the same agreement. If Iran expects quick access to frozen funds while Washington insists on strict verification first, the dispute could become a major obstacle before a final deal is reached.
For now, the U.S. is signaling that the war may be paused, but the pressure campaign is not over.
Why It Matters
The decision to keep U.S. troops in the region matters because it shows that the Iran deal is not yet a full peace settlement. Washington is keeping military leverage in place while testing whether Tehran will comply with the agreement.
It also matters for global energy markets. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could ease oil prices, but shipping companies and insurers may wait for proof that the route is safe before returning to normal operations.
What Comes Next
The agreement’s details are expected to be released publicly soon, followed by a formal signing ceremony later this week.
The next 60 days will determine whether the U.S. and Iran can turn the memorandum into a broader agreement covering nuclear limits, sanctions relief, frozen assets, regional security and a possible U.S. force drawdown.
Trump said the Iran agreement was “all signed” and that the Strait of Hormuz would be fully open by Friday, even as U.S. officials said troops will remain in the region during the 60-day negotiation period.
US President Donald Trump has said the agreement with Iran is ‘all signed’, adding that the Strait of Hormuz will be ‘completely open’ by Friday.
Trump was speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the G7 meeting in France. pic.twitter.com/CchRda04po
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 15, 2026
