Donald Trump has declared the nuclear agreement with Iran null and void following an incident where Iranian forces allegedly fired upon oil tankers in the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz. He further mentioned that additional American military actions are scheduled for later tonight.
“In my view, the deal is finished. I have no intention of negotiating with them any longer,” Trump stated while attending a session at the NATO summit held in Turkey on Wednesday.
He criticized Iranian leaders sharply, labeling them as “scum” and “sick individuals,” asserting that they are governed by malicious and aggressive people.
The US Central Command announced that they have targeted over 80 locations in retaliation for the firing upon the tankers. In response, Iran launched attacks aiming at sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Later, Trump emphasized the end of any truce, indicating plans are underway for a new series of strikes against Iranian targets as Wednesday evening approaches.
‘We hit them very hard last night … probably hit them hard again tonight. I’ll give a little warning, we’re going to hit them hard tonight,’ the President said. The President added that he’s considering reinstating the blockade on Iran.
Oil prices surged overnight with global benchmark Brent crude hitting $78.39 per barrel – its highest price since June 19.
All three major US stock market indexes ticked down after Trump declared the MOU was over. Futures for the NASDAQ, Dow Jones and S&P 500 were all down roughly a point on Wednesday pre-market.
Donald Trump fumed that the ceasefire deal with Iran is ‘over’ and that he’s tired of dealing with Iran’s ‘sick’ leadership on Wednesday
A screen grab from a video showing the latest US strikes on Iran
But Trump said his negotiators still believed that a peace agreement could be salvaged.
‘I’ll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate, they’re good people… but they have to come back to me,’ the President said. As for the Iranians, Trump added, ‘As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.’
CENTCOM said on Wednesday: ‘Forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran, July 7, hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
‘US forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait.’
The US identified the targeted vessels as: Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.
‘As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars,’ Trump said. ‘They’re cuckoo.’
The President said that he initially believed Iran would be peaceful during this week as the country is taking six days to mourn the death of their late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
‘We said, ‘Go and do your funeral stuff,’ and instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships,’ Trump remarked.
The coffins of family members of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 during Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran, are placed inside the shrine of Imam Abbas during funeral ceremonies in Karbala
Mourners carry one of the coffins of family members of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
‘Can you imagine they start shooting bombs, actually missiles at ships yesterday, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, couple of others,’ he added.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who was sitting next to Trump as he went off on Iran’s leadership, offered support for the latest round of strikes.
‘I think what you did last night was absolutely necessary,’ Rutte told Trump. ‘It was a very strong response.’
Rutte has been working to mend the relationship between the White House and NATO following Trump’s repeated remarks about how the military alliance did not support US military forces in the early days of the war.
The NATO leader told Trump that there were only ‘isolated cases’ of allied nations not wanting to offer their support to the US.
‘I would say these are isolated cases,’ Rutte said, adding that 5,000 planes took off from European airports in support of Operation Epic Fury.’
‘Europe [is] one big platform of power projection for the United States,’ Rutte added.