Attack on Ships in Strait of Hormuz: US Launches Fresh Airstrikes, Trump says Deal with Iran “Virtually Over”
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 8: The crude oil prices jumped and the stock markets the world over slumped after the United States president Donald Trump on Wednesday hinted that the interim memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran for a temporary ceasefire was virtually “over” and that it was a ‘waste of time dealing with the sick Iranian leadership,’ even while agreeing to allow his negotiators to continue to hold talks with Iran if they wanted to.
Mr Trump’s remarks came hours after the United States launched massive strikes on Iranian assets in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island, in retaliation for what it said were Tehran’s attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The interim ceasefire agreement signed between Washington and Tehran was intended to provide a 60-day window for negotiations on a permanent agreement, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of headway.
On the status of the ceasefire with Iran, Trump said, “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They are scum. They’re led by sick people. I’ll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate—they are good people, but they have to come back to me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.”
“They’re liars, they’re cheats, they’re sick people. They’ve hurt their people. They killed 54,000 people — as of now — who were protesting. You know, when people say how come they haven’t taken over? They can’t take over because they’re dead,” Trump said.
“We attacked, very powerfully, last night, the very dangerous people from Iran… There’s something wrong with them. We say, ‘Go and do your funeral stuff,’ and instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night,” he added.
The US leader made the comment on the sidelines of the two-day NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, and hours after striking Iran in what the US described as retaliation for strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump added that US representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome. “They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.
Washington has also revoked a license authorizing the sale of Iranian oil. Tehran has hit back with strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait, risking the interim agreement to halt fighting in the war that could break down and drag the West Asia again into a wider conflict.
Earlier, reports claimed the US air strikes against Iranian military targets in the area of the Strait of Hormuz have been “four or five times bigger in scope and power” than any previous attacks carried out ten days ago. Officials said the strikes were the most intense US attacks on Iran since the April ceasefire and risk plunging Tehran and Washington into a new cycle of retaliation.
An US official said the strikes were “punishment” for Iran for attacks on commercial ships near the contested waterway. They came during the days-long funeral for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed February 28 in the war’s first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions — though mourners have repeatedly called for the killings of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Negotiations to reach a final deal had been due to start after Khamenei’s burial and focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program. But the new attacks throw that into question, though neither country immediately signalled they’d walk away from the negotiating table.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including in Bandar Mahshahr, where a Guard member was killed. It also reported attacks on Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex. Responding to the strikes, the Iranian leadership warned that Iran won’t fold and was ready to give a “crushing response.”
Taking to X, Parliament speaker and chief negotiator with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, condemned the recent strikes, claiming they led nowhere. “Major MOU Violations by the US: Violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait. Persistent threats of further strikes. Reinstating oil sanctions. Attacks on southern Iran. Continued Zionist aggression on Lebanon. The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” he wrote in a post.
The Khatam-al-Anbiya Central Headquarters also strongly condemned the US strikes in southern Iran, labelling them a “blatant act of aggression.” In a statement, the Iranian military warned that its armed forces would deliver a “crushing response” to the US actions. The military said Iran would not allow any outside interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz. “It is reiterated that the only safe passage for commercial ships and oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz is the route designated by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the military added.
Later, both Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to US Army forces, sounded missile alerts. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a statement acknowledging targeting US military installations in both countries. Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomat in the United Arab Emirates, called Iran’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait “a clear indicator that Tehran remains incapable of committing to the requirements of de-escalation and turning the page on war.”
China on Wednesday denounced the sharp escalation in hostility in West Asia after the United States struck dozens of targets in Iran, with Beijing’s Foreign Ministry warning both sides against “reigniting” the war in West Asia. “Reigniting the war is not in the interests of either side, and military means cannot solve the fundamental problems,” foreign spokesperson Mao Ning told the media persons when asked about the strikes.
Meanwhile, at least 6,000 seafarers “remain stranded” in the Gulf, the head of the International Maritime Organization said on Wednesday as he called for “maximum restraint and de-escalation.” “I condemn the attacks over the past two days against several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement after U.S. President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over. “These reckless attacks have again placed innocent seafarers in grave danger,” Mr Dominguez added.
The Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he admired Donald Trump’s determined stance regarding efforts to achieve lasting peace with Iran. Speaking at the opening of the NATO summit in Ankara, Erdogan also thanked fellow allies Spain, Germany, Italy and the United States for providing air defence support to Türkiye amid the war in Iran, and urged allies to be in solidarity against all forms of terrorism.
The NATO chief Mark Rutte defended the US strikes on Iran, calling them essential to uphold international ceasefire agreements amid rising tensions. The exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran “further complicate already fraught talks to end the war,” the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said. “Iran’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait are unacceptable,” she said on X, adding EU Foreign Ministers would discuss with their Gulf counterparts on Monday how to “preserve freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea.
The world oil prices soared more than 5% on Wednesday after President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over, following fresh strikes in West Asia. International benchmark Brent North Sea crude jumped 5.3% to $78.09 a barrel, while the main U.S. contract, West Texas Intermediate, advanced 5.4% to $74.23 a barrel.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said airlines should not operate within the airspace of Iran and Iraq, amid ongoing tensions and the potential for further military action. The EASA said its bulletin for the airspaces of Iran and Iraq was valid until August 31. The agency’s previous bulletin included Lebanon. It had also asked airlines to exercise caution when operating within the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait condemned Iranian attacks on its soil, which it said undermined efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, as Tehran claimed attacks on US bases in the country and in Bahrain. Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it expressed its “strongest condemnation and denunciation of the repeated, illicit Iranian attacks,” adding that “the continuation of these brazen attacks — at a time when regional and international efforts toward de-escalation are underway — systematically undermines efforts to lower tensions.”
