President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire with Iran over and launched new bombing raids Wednesday night, describing the country's leaders as "cuckoo" and "scum." The renewed military action followed Iran's earlier bombing of ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
During a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump stated the truce was finished and warned of potential strikes on Iran's bridges, electricity grid, and water treatment plants. He later posted on social media, "This is in retribution for Wednesday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" The post included videos and photos appearing to show smoke from the raids.
The U.S. had initially resumed airstrikes on Tuesday night as a punitive measure after tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. More than 80 U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian military facilities, including those used to harass shipping and air defense systems. Iranian state media reported eight fatalities from these attacks.
U.S. Central Command stated the strikes were intended to "impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway." Concurrently, the U.S. revoked Iran's license to sell oil on global markets, a measure linked to a memorandum of understanding established last month.
In response to the renewed U.S. strikes, Iran targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, declaring the agreement between the nations void. Iran claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ9 drone and damaged 85 U.S. facilities. Earlier, Trump had characterized the Iranian leadership as "evil, sick people - they're cancer. And you've got to cut out cancer early."
Following Trump's threats, Tehran vowed to turn the Middle East into "a sea of fire" and threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials also warned of "raining missiles" on Israel and asserted that Iran's regional proxies, such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen, were prepared for action.
Hostilities resumed as crude oil prices rose by 5%. Qatar condemned Iran's "explicit violation" of international law. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte supported the U.S. action and reiterated the alliance's stance against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.