Donald Trump threatens to strike again after Central Command targets sites following attacks on commercial vessels in Strait of Hormuz
Updated ,first published
Ankara: The United States is preparing for a new night of attacks on Iran, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, just hours after Iran said the ceasefire was over following attacks on American military facilities in the Gulf.
“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump said when asked about a possible return to hostilities. “We’ll probably hit them hard again tonight.”
Trump made this statement during the NATO summit in Ankara. He said the attacks were ongoing retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
“They are behaving very badly,” he said of Iran, accusing it of launching drones and missiles at ships.
The latest exchange of fire has raised fears that the war in Iran could reignite, and Trump added to those concerns by saying the interim agreement to stop the conflict was “over”, although he added that he would allow talks to continue.
“I don’t know if we can make a deal. We can do it without a deal,” he said.
Earlier, Trump told reporters: “I don’t want to deal with them anymore; they’re assholes” and added that negotiators could continue talking but were “wasting their time.”
Trump’s remarks came as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard targeted American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday, after the United States launched a new wave of attacks on Iran in response to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a final blow to the fragile ceasefire, the Revolutionary Guard said it carried out a joint missile and drone operation against US bases in Bandar Salman, Bahrain’s Fifth Marine Area and Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base, shooting down a US MQ-9 drone that tried to interfere with the operation.
Air raid sirens have sounded repeatedly in Bahrain and Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti Army has said its air defenses are facing missile and drone attacks. No statement was made from the US military regarding the attacks.
In response to attacks on three tankers in the strait, the United States struck more than 80 targets in Iran and revoked the license that allowed Tehran to sell oil.
US Central Command (Centcom) said that more than 60 small boats belonging to the Revolutionary Guard were among the targets hit during the operation, which aims to impose a heavy cost on Iran due to attacks on ships in violation of the ceasefire.
“Unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” Centcom said in a statement. he said.
‘Clear violation’
Answering a reporter’s question at the NATO summit about whether the interim agreement or memorandum of understanding reached with Iran last month was dead, Trump said: “That’s a very interesting question. I think it’s dead.”
“They are sick people. They are run by sick people. And they are cruel, violent people.
“And if they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it.”
Trump said talks with Iran could continue, but he doubted they would be productive.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the latest US attacks, along with renewed oil sanctions and Israel’s ongoing war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, amounted to a “clear violation” of the agreement.
He said Iran “will not hesitate” to defend its “integrity, national sovereignty, and national security” and warned Gulf countries hosting US bases that Iran would “target the source and point of origin” of any attacks.
Ahead of the Ankara summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the latest US strikes were “absolutely necessary”.
“Once the ceasefire is established and Iran is fundamentally violating the ceasefire, I think it is very important for the United States to react strongly,” Rutte told reporters.
Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, condemned the attacks as a blatant act of aggression, threatened a “crushing response” and warned that Tehran would not allow US interference in the management of the strait.
A U.S. official on Wednesday said the strikes targeted Iran’s air defenses, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and drone launch sites.
Iranian media reported explosions in Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil hub, Qeshm Island, and the southern port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas.
According to Iran Press TV, many explosions were heard on the southern Kharg Island. Centcom made no mention of Kharg Island, from which Iran exports 90 percent of its crude oil.
According to an Iranian state television reporter, no civilian deaths were reported, but several people were injured by shrapnel from an “enemy shell” that hit a commercial pier in Sirik. Reports stated that the strikes also hit fishing piers in Sirik and Bandar Abbas.
Oil prices are rising
On Tuesday (US time) Washington moved to withdraw a key concession that would have allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets.
After the USA announced this move, oil prices rose more than 3 percent.
A U.S. official previously said negotiators continue to work in good faith to reach a final agreement with Iran. But control of the strait gave Tehran enormous influence and effectively allowed it to stalemate the world’s most powerful military.
Analysts say Tehran is using attacks on ships to highlight this advantage as it negotiates a long-term peace deal.
Under the interim agreement, the US Treasury issued a general license on June 22 allowing the sale of crude oil, petrochemicals and petroleum products of Iranian origin until August 21.
It revoked this license on Tuesday, giving Iran until July 17 to terminate any transactions.
Iran held responsible for ship attacks
While Tehran has denied responsibility for the latest attacks on ships, Qatar has accused Iran of attacking ships, including the giant Qatar liquefied natural gas tanker Al Rekayyat, which reportedly was hit by a drone that caused a fire in its engine room. The crew was safe and being evacuated.
Maritime security sources said a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker, believed to be the supertanker Wedyan, was also damaged off the coast of Oman. The reason was not immediately clear.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Qatar’s accusations were confusing and that Tehran was diligently fulfilling its commitments. Despite this, it was stated that commercial ships face the risk of using routes that are not coordinated with Iran.
A second US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial indications were that Iran had opened fire on three merchant ships.
Iran’s religious rulers aim to establish a permanent system for collecting fees, in what would represent a major shift in the balance of power in a region where Washington has long acted as guarantor of security.
The US strikes came after large crowds mourned the death of Iran’s late religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Qom. Khamenei was killed along with his daughter, grandson, son-in-law and daughter-in-law on the first day of the war.
The ceasefire was intended to provide a 60-day window for talks on a permanent deal, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no signs of progress.
