Trump declares Iran ceasefire over after US strikes, Iran retaliates
President Trump declared the June ceasefire with Iran 'over' at the NATO summit in Ankara, following a night of US airstrikes that killed eight Iranian military personnel and an Iranian retaliatory barrage against American bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Ceasefire declared over
President Donald Trump declared the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran "over" during the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Trump nonetheless left open the possibility that negotiations on a more permanent agreement could continue, though he did not explain how that would work without the temporary truce.I think it's over. They are scum. They are sick people. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time to negotiate with them.
US airstrikes hit Iranian military targets
The US military launched a series of strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, according to US Central Command. The targets included air defence systems, command networks, coast guard installations, and dozens of small boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iranian state media reported explosions in the port city of Sirik, on Qeshm island, and near Bandar Abbas. Eight Iranian air force and navy personnel were killed, the first military deaths Tehran has reported since the June ceasefire. No civilian casualties were confirmed.
Iran retaliates against bases in Gulf states
Iran's Revolutionary Guard responded within hours, striking what it described as 85 "important American military facilities" in Bahrain and Kuwait. Air raid sirens sounded in both Gulf states. The IRGC called the barrage a "first response" to the US violation of the ceasefire and warned of further action. The exchange marked the most serious escalation since the truce was signed.
- Attack on Qatari LNG tanker al-Rekayyat off Oman; Qatar accuses Iran.
- US strikes more than 80 targets in Iran, killing 8 military personnel.
- Iran retaliates, hitting 85 US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
- Trump declares ceasefire over at NATO summit in Ankara.
- Burial of Supreme Leader Khamenei scheduled.
Khamenei funeral fuels anti-American sentiment
The hostilities unfolded against the backdrop of the state funeral for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on 28 February. On the fourth day of ceremonies, huge crowds in Qom chanted "Death to America" and displayed banners offering a $100 million bounty on Trump's head. The IRGC accused Washington of timing its strikes to overshadow the funeral. The burial is scheduled for Thursday in Khamenei's birthplace.
Oil and gas prices jump
Brent crude rose more than 6% to nearly $79 per barrel after Trump's remarks, while US crude climbed a similar margin to almost $75. European gas prices added around 5%. Equity indices fell, with Amsterdam's AEX losing 0.7%.
- Brent crude
- 6 %
- US crude
- 6 %
- European gas
- 5 %
- AEX index
- -0.7 %
Mediators urge restraint
Pakistan, which brokered the original 14-point memorandum, called on all parties to exercise restraint.
Qatar, another mediator, had said last week that talks would resume after Khamenei's funeral, but the new escalation has thrown that timeline into doubt. The US also reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil, further complicating the diplomatic path.A resumption of the conflict is in nobody's interest.
