President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is over after a renewed exchange of military strikes linked to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a sharp escalation in tensions that is already rattling global energy markets.
Trump Declares Ceasefire Finished
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO Summit alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said he no longer considers last month’s memorandum of understanding with Tehran to be in effect.
“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said, per CBS News.
While he acknowledged negotiations are continuing, Trump expressed skepticism that they would lead to any resolution.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time,” Trump said. “They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time. They’re liars, they’re cheats. They’re sick people.”
Trump said the United States would likely launch additional military strikes against Iran on Wednesday night.
“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump said. “We’re going to hit them hard again tonight.”
U.S. Launches Retaliatory Strikes
The latest escalation followed attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global oil supplies.
In response, U.S. Central Command said American forces struck more than 80 Iranian military targets early Wednesday, including air defense systems, command-and-control networks, radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 small boats operating in and around the strategic waterway.
Iran retaliated by launching attacks targeting U.S. military sites in the Persian Gulf after the United States reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil exports.
Gulf Allies Report Interceptions
Bahrain said its military intercepted several Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting civilians, while Kuwait reported intercepting two ballistic missiles and 13 drones that entered its airspace. Neither country reported casualties.
Iranian officials remained defiant.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. “It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission, also said the United States must “recognize the new Iranian order in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iranian Army Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari warned that Iranian forces would turn the nation’s coastline into “a hell” for U.S. forces if they dared to mount a ground attack.
Shipping Attacks Draw International Condemnation
Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization condemned Iran’s recent attacks on commercial vessels.
“I condemn the attacks over the past two days against several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, calling them “reckless attacks” that placed innocent civilian mariners at risk.
The ceasefire agreement reached last month had called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz while the United States and Iran continued negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. Those talks have since stalled, with discussions paused during funeral observances for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the opening days of the conflict.
Oil Prices Rise as Markets React
The latest military confrontation has also shaken financial markets.
U.S. crude oil prices climbed more than 5% to roughly $74 per barrel, while Brent crude rose above $78 per barrel as investors reacted to concerns that fighting could further disrupt one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Stock futures fell sharply, with airline and travel companies among the hardest hit in premarket trading as markets reassessed geopolitical risks.
NATO Chief Backs U.S. Response
Rutte defended the U.S. military response, saying the strikes were warranted after the attacks on commercial shipping.
“I think it was absolutely necessary,” the NATO chief said, CBS reported. “It was a very strong response, and I’m with you on this.”
Provided by Dallas Express
