After an escalating exchange of fire, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (July 8) declared that the interim ceasefire with Iran is 'over', describing the Iranian leadership as 'sick' and saying it was a 'waste of time dealing with them.' The US President, however, said he will allow talks to continue.
It's over: Trump
On the status of the ceasefire with Iran, Trump said, "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They are scum. They're led by sick people. I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate—they are good people, but they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them."
He commented on the sidelines of the two-day NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, and hours after striking Iran in what the US described as retaliation for strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks on shipping threatened efforts to resume fuel shipments in the strait that are crucial to the global economy.
labelled Iranians as "liars, cheats and sick people", while confirming that American forces had targeted "very dangerous people" within Iran during the night.
"They're liars, they're cheats, they're sick people. They've hurt their people. They killed 54,000 people -- as of now -- who were protesting. You know, when people say how come they haven't taken over? They can't take over because they're dead," Trump said.
"We attacked, very powerfully, last night, the very dangerous people from Iran... There's something wrong with them. We say, 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night," he added.
Overnight US strikes target Iran
The US military's Central Command said American forces launched a series of "powerful strikes" against Iran early Wednesday after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz. It said it hit Iranian targets, including air defense systems, radars, and over 60 small boats used by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bandar Mahshahr, where a Guard member was killed. It also reported attacks on Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex.
Tehran targets Bahrain, Kuwait
Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain and Kuwait. Wednesday morning, both Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to US Army forces, sounded missile alerts.
The Guard issued a statement acknowledging targeting US military installations in both countries. "The child-killing and terrorist US army ... openly violated the ceasefire and violated the Islamabad understanding by launching an airstrike on a number of coastal bases and civilian stations on the coasts of Hormozgan and Mahshahr provinces," it said, without addressing the attacks on ships.
The crossfire came during the dayslong funeral for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in the war's first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions — though mourners have repeatedly called for the killings of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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