Trump Declares the Iran Ceasefire 'Over' and Vows to 'Hit Them Hard Again' After U.S. Strikes 80 Targets
The president threatened to reimpose a naval blockade on Iran's ports as oil prices jumped roughly 8%, and Tehran warned it would shut the Strait of Hormuz and retaliate with twice as many targets.
President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the fragile ceasefire that had paused the war between the United States and Iran since mid-June is finished, telling reporters that Washington would resume its bombing campaign and warning that he was prepared to choke off Iran's oil exports by sea. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over," Trump said of the truce, adding that the United States "hit them very hard last night" and would "probably hit them hard again tonight."
The renewed escalation followed a night of heavy strikes. U.S. Central Command said American forces had struck more than 80 targets across Iran on Tuesday, retaliation for what the Pentagon said was an Iranian assault on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil moves. Explosions were reported overnight in the Iranian port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas as the two sides traded fire.
Iran answered with attacks of its own on American bases in the Gulf. Kuwait's military said it had intercepted 15 Iranian projectiles over its territory, including two ballistic missiles and 13 drones. Iranian state media warned that Tehran would close the Strait of Hormuz entirely and strike back with twice as many targets if the United States attacked again, raising the specter of a wider regional war just weeks after diplomats thought they had contained it.
Trump, speaking as he wrapped up a NATO summit alongside Secretary General Mark Rutte, was scathing about Iran's leadership and dismissive of further negotiations. He called Iranian officials "scum" and "sick people" and said talks were "just a waste of time dealing with them." The president also said the United States could reinstate the naval blockade it first imposed in April, this time targeting Iranian ports while allowing other nations' ships to pass.
The administration reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales on Tuesday, giving buyers a 10-day window to take delivery of roughly 60 million barrels of Iranian crude before it is placed off-limits again. Financial markets reacted immediately: Brent crude climbed above $80 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate rose past $75, gains of about 8% on the day, as traders priced in the risk that the flow of oil through Hormuz could be disrupted.
The mid-June ceasefire had been brokered after an earlier round of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Its collapse leaves the region on edge, with commercial shippers weighing whether to risk the strait and Gulf governments bracing for further retaliation. Trump said he would give Iran "a little warning" before the next wave of strikes.
Originally reported by CBS News.