President Donald Trump has declared the ceasefire with Iran "over," announcing US military strikes that he described as "20 times tougher" than previous operations. Speaking alongside NATO chief Mark Rutte in Ankara, Trump said he no longer wishes to negotiate with Tehran, calling the Iranian leadership "sick."
Ceasefire Declared Over
When asked about the status of the ceasefire, Trump stated: "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. As far as I'm concerned, it's over. I'll speak to our negotiators, they want to negotiate. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them." Trump added that the US is now striking Iran with attacks "20 times tougher," asserting: "They're sick. There's something wrong with them. We said 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that, they start shooting rockets and ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night."
US Strikes and Iranian Retaliation
The US launched strikes on Iran early Wednesday, July 8, hours after revoking a license authorising Iranian oil sales, in retaliation for what Washington described as Tehran's attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait. The attacks on shipping threatened efforts to resume fuel shipments through the strait, a vital global economic artery.
The crossfire occurred during the days-long funeral for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in the war's first moments. The funeral, ending Thursday, was intended to be a period of lower tensions, though mourners repeatedly called for the killings of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Negotiations in Jeopardy
Negotiations to reach a final deal had been scheduled to start after Khamenei's burial, focusing on fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. However, the new attacks threw that into question. The US military's Central Command said American forces launched the strikes "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway."
Central Command reported hitting Iranian targets including air defence systems, radars, and over 60 small boats used by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which have been key in harassing ships in the strait. The US military remains "postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed," it added, stating that this round of attacks had ended. Iran acknowledged the strikes but offered no word on any losses.
