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Ceasefire declared over
President Donald Trump said the U.S. ceasefire with Iran is “over” after the U.S. and Iran clashed overnight, and he signaled Washington would reimpose its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
“In short: Donald Trump has described the US-Iran ceasefire as "over" but said he would continue speaking with his negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the next steps”
Trump told reporters in Ankara, Turkey, “I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,” as the U.S. launched a second round of attacks Wednesday after striking 80 targets on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command.
In a separate warning tied to the next moves, Trump said the U.S. would “very probably” attack Iran “hard again tonight,” adding, “We’ll see how it all works out,” during remarks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
U.S. Central Command said the strikes were intended “to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” and Iran’s Foreign Ministry labeled the U.S. strikes a “gross violation of the Memorandum of Understanding.”
Reactions and rhetoric
Iran’s deputy foreign minister called Trump a “criminal,” and CNN reported that one official told the network his comments were “disgusting,” as Iranian state media reported explosions in cities including Bushehr, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
At the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump also framed the escalation as retribution, saying, “If it happens again, it will get much worse!” in a Truth Social post referenced by CBS News.
U.S. officials and Trump’s team tied the military posture to the Strait of Hormuz, with JD Vance saying the deal was “very simple” and that if Iran shot at ships, “we are going to punch back and we're going to punch back harder than ever before.”
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Trump’s language by saying, “We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour,” as NBC News reported Araghchi’s message appeared to react to Trump calling Iran’s leaders “scum.”
Markets, talks, and fallout
AP reported that oil prices rose and stock markets dropped worldwide after Trump raised doubts about the temporary truce, with the S&P 500 falling as much as 1.1% after Trump said the ceasefire agreement was “over.”
“United States President Donald Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is “over”, describing Iranian leaders as “sick people” after Iran and the US exchanged military attacks”
AP said the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 576 points, or 1.1%, while Brent crude climbed 5.2% to $78.02 and briefly topped $80, as the worry centered on the possibility that fighting could block the Strait of Hormuz and prevent delivery of crude from the Persian Gulf.
Despite Trump’s declaration, NPR reported that he did not rule out talks continuing to permanently end the war, saying special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner want to continue negotiating, even as Trump called it “a waste of time dealing with them.”
Al Jazeera reported that the U.S. Treasury withdrew a sanctions waiver allowing Iran to sell its oil, and it said the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned Iran’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait as a “grave breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.”
