US President Donald Trump, speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, declared the ceasefire with Iran to be over, describing the Iranians as liars and cheats. On Friday he went further, threatening to “decimate and destroy” Iran and claiming 1 000 missiles were aimed at the Islamic Republic.
THE United States has launched successive waves of military strikes against Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil, dismantling a fragile ceasefire agreement signed less than a month ago.
The escalation began on July 7 and has continued through the weekend, in direct violation of the preliminary understanding between Washington and Tehran.
The US Central Command confirmed its opening strikes hit more than 80 targets, including Iranian air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 small boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Pentagon stated the strikes were a response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, including a Saudi oil tanker and a Qatari gas carrier. A senior US official described the operation as deliberate “punishment” for Iran’s actions.
