Key facts
- President Trump declared the U.S. ceasefire with Iran over following overnight strikes.
- The U.S. revoked a sanctions waiver that had allowed Iran to sell oil and petrochemicals.
- Iran claimed to have targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
- The U.S. stated its strikes were in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
- President Trump warned of likely further U.S. strikes on Wednesday night.
President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran "over" following a wave of overnight strikes exchanged by both sides. The declaration came after the U.S. revoked a sanctions waiver that had allowed Tehran to sell oil and petrochemicals.
Trump stated at a meeting of NATO leaders that the ceasefire was finished, hours after the U.S. launched more than 80 strikes on Iran. Washington said the strikes were a response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Tehran retaliated by launching strikes on U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, with Kuwait's military confirming its air defenses were activated and Bahrain's interior ministry urging citizens to take shelter.
Trump also launched a strong verbal attack on Iranian leaders, calling them "scum" and "vicious, violent people." He expressed doubt about the success of ongoing negotiations, stating, "They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time."
According to a U.S. statement, the overnight strikes targeted Iran's air defence systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile weapons, and over 60 small boats linked to the IRGC, aiming to degrade Iran's ability to target commercial shipping.
Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command reported that Iran targeted three tankers near Oman, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas vessel. Qatar condemned the attack as a "serious and explicit violation" of international law. Iran rejected plans for new shipping corridors near Oman's coast and stated its intention to charge tolls on ships using the waterway. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accused the U.S. of "major" violations of the memorandum of understanding, including the reinstatement of oil sanctions.
The exchange of fire and rhetoric marks a breach of the MoU, which began a 60-day negotiation period for a permanent ceasefire and resolution of Iran's nuclear program.