President Trump says he's done playing nice with Tehran. Speaking at a NATO gathering in the Turkish city of Ankara on Wednesday, the president declared the US ceasefire with Iran "over" and unleashed some of his harshest language yet at Iranian leaders, reports the Washington Post. The president went on to call them "scum" and "liars" and dismissed further talks as a likely "waste of time," even as he said negotiators could keep trying if they wished. "I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it," he noted. Trump's comments followed a rapid military escalation in the region.
The US military said it hit more than 80 Iranian targets, including air defenses, radar locations, anti-ship systems, and more than 60 small boats. The strike was said to be in retaliation for Iranian attacks on Tuesday on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The AP reports that those commercial vessels apparently weren't using the Tehran-ordered shipping route, but instead one along the coast of Oman. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it responded by striking 85 US military facilities, including in Bahrain and Kuwait. Kuwait's armed forces reported the nation's air defenses were firing, while Bahrain officials urged its residents to seek shelter, though neither country offered any info on casualties or damage.
The breakdown comes less than a month into a 60-day preliminary deal meant to keep the vital oil chokepoint open while nuclear and sanctions talks continue. Oil prices jumped more than 6% on renewed fears of a wider conflict. Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's president, slammed the US on Wednesday, with a jab thrown in for other recent machinations on the world stage, per CNN. "The US government's conduct as World Cup host follows its familiar foreign policy: bending rules, bullying rivals, creating obstacles, and cheating," Pezeshkian wrote online. "This is their MAGA playbook. Iran rejects such games. We stand firmly for our rights."
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