Ceasefire unravels after tanker attacks
The United States and Iran traded heavy strikes for a second night on Wednesday after President Donald Trump declared the interim ceasefire agreement signed on June 17 to be 'over.' US Central Command said the strikes targeted Iranian capabilities in the southern ports of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Jask — all strategic locations along the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks came in response to Iranian strikes on three commercial tankers transiting the vital waterway.
Trump: 'They're scum'
Speaking from the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump told reporters: 'I don't want to deal with them anymore, they're scum.' He later posted on Truth Social that the US would 'hit them hard again tonight.' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on X: 'We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour.' Iranian state media reported eight explosions in Bandar Abbas and fires at an IRGC barracks in Bushehr.
Diplomatic path narrows
Despite the president's harsh rhetoric, Trump said his negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could continue talking — an admission, analysts say, that the US has no better option than negotiations. The 14-point memorandum of understanding included a 60-day ceasefire window, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and sanctions relief for Iran. Mediators described the current atmosphere as 'very tense' after the worst military exchange since the war's start on February 28.