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Trump ends ceasefire
President Donald Trump said the interim agreement with Iran is “over” as U.S. forces attacked Iran for a second consecutive day, after Trump declared the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran “over” and predicted additional U.S. military action “probably” would occur.
“the United States conducted a new round of airstrikes on Iran Wednesday at the direction of President Donald Trump”
The U.S. Central Command confirmed the new round of airstrikes on Iran Wednesday at Trump’s direction, and the operation was described as intended to “further degrade (Iran's) ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump said at a NATO summit in Turkey that he considers a 60-day ceasefire agreed in a memorandum of understanding signed in June to be over, adding, “To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them.”
The strikes followed Iranian attacks targeting U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait that were carried out in retaliation to U.S. airstrikes Tuesday, according to the Central Oregon Daily account of the exchange.
Rhetoric and retaliation
At a NATO press conference in Ankara, Turkey, Trump told reporters “I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum,” and he added, “they're sick people. They're led by sick people.”
ABC News reported that Trump said negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will continue, but he said of the agreement, “For me, I think it's over.”
The U.S. launched retaliatory strikes after CENTCOM said it struck more than 80 Iranian targets, and Iran’s military said it responded by attacking 85 U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
In the same reporting, Trump said, “We hit them very hard,” and he framed the exchange as a cycle in which “every time you hit, we hit.”
What’s at stake next
The Al Jazeera account says the memorandum of understanding was meant to serve as a launch point for 60 days of talks on issues including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and access to billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds.
“powerful strikes" against more than 80 "targets”
Al Jazeera also reported that US Central Command said it launched “powerful strikes” against more than 80 “targets” after Iranian attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and it said the latest US attacks came hours after the US Treasury revoked a sanctions waiver allowing sales of Iranian crude oil.
Trump told reporters he would “probably” launch more strikes on Iran tonight and said the U.S. could reinstate its naval blockade and target electricity and water plants, while also saying US forces “may take over” Iran’s Kharg Island.
The BBC reported that Trump warned of a new U.S. attack in the coming days if no agreement is reached, saying “two or three days, perhaps Friday or Saturday or Sunday,” and it quoted Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akrami Nia warning that “we will open new fronts against him.”