Trump dubs Iran’s leaders cuckoo… then declares ceasefire over and launches fresh attacks
Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was ‘over’ and launched fresh bomb attacks on Wednesday night after calling the country’s leaders ‘cuckoo’ and ‘scum’.
At the NATO summit in Türkiye, the US President said the ceasefire was over and threatened to target Iran’s bridges, power grid and water purification facilities.
Later, addressing the second night of attacks, Mr Trump wrote on social media: ‘This is revenge for Iran bombing the ships on Wednesday. If it happens again, it’ll be much worse!’
It also released videos and photographs of the raids, including images of smoke rising into the sky after an apparent bombing.
The USA renewed its attack on Iran as ‘punishment’ after tankers came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday night.
More than 80 US airstrikes targeted military installations, including vehicles used to harass tankers and air defense systems in the strait. Iranian state media reported that eight people died in the attacks.
US Central Command said these attacks were launched to ‘target and impose heavy costs on attacking commercial vessels crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway’.
The US also revoked Iran’s license to sell oil on global markets as part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the countries signed last month.
At the NATO summit in Türkiye, the US President said the ceasefire was over and threatened to target Iran’s bridges, power grid and water purification facilities. Photographed here with Keir Starmer at the event
Emmanuel Macron is seen taking a morning walk in Ankara, where he came for the summit
In response, Iran targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait and declared the agreement ‘dead’. It allegedly shot down a US MQ9 drone and damaged 85 US facilities. Earlier, Mr Trump told the summit: ‘These are evil, sick people; they are cancer. And you have to eliminate cancer early.’
Following the President’s threats, Tehran vowed to turn the Middle East into a ‘sea of fire’ and close the Strait of Hormuz.
Officials also threatened to “rain missiles” on Israel and claimed that Iran’s regional proxies, such as the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, were “involved in the triggers.” The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, said: ‘We will not withdraw.’
While crude oil prices increased by 5 percent after the resumption of hostilities, Gulf countries such as Qatar condemned Iran’s ‘blatant violation’ of international law.
The US action was supported by NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, who confirmed the alliance’s position that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons.
Apart from serious meetings, French President Emmanuel Macron went for a morning walk in shorts and sunglasses.
