‘It’s over’: Trump on ceasefire with Iran

IBNS-CMEDIA: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that the ceasefire agreement with Iran, brokered three weeks ago, is now “over,” a statement that has reignited tensions in the Middle East.

“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them… They’re scum. They’re sick people,” Trump told reporters.

The remarks came a day after the United States announced a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting 80 locations in its latest military operation.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes were launched in direct response to Iran’s recent attacks on commercial vessels transiting the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

“U.S. forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

According to the U.S. military, Iran recently targeted three commercial vessels passing through the strategic waterway: the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.

“The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” CENTCOM said.

Warning Tehran against further escalation, the command added: “CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed.”

Responding to the strikes, Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accused Washington of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU). In a post on X, he wrote: “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”

The latest round of U.S. strikes has sharply escalated tensions in the Middle East and placed the already fragile ceasefire under renewed strain.

Meanwhile, the Iranian military launched drones toward Bahrain, a U.S. official told Axios.

According to the official, Tuesday’s strikes were four to five times larger in scale and firepower than the U.S. military operation conducted in the Strait of Hormuz 10 days earlier.

Reports also said the U.S. Treasury revoked a waiver that had temporarily eased oil sanctions on Iran shortly before the strikes were launched.

The latest escalation follows months of hostilities that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran. Tehran retaliated by targeting Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.

The conflict has triggered sharp volatility in global oil prices and unsettled financial markets worldwide.