International

Trump declares Iran truce dead as clashes spread across the Gulf

The United States carried out new strikes on Iran on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump declared the fragile ceasefire with Tehran "definitively over." The move triggered Iranian retaliation against Kuwait and Bahrain, both hosts to major U.S. military bases, and further jeopardized efforts to end the wider war, as reported by Reuters.

U.S. Central Command said the strikes were aimed at reducing Iran's capacity to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The action followed Tuesday's attack on three commercial vessels transiting the strait, an incident Washington blamed on Iranian forces.

The strikes hit several cities along Iran's southern coast, cutting power to parts of the region. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain; Kuwait's Ministry of Defense said it intercepted the incoming projectiles.

"The U.S. still hasn't learned that aggression and broken commitments no longer go unanswered," senior Iranian official Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on X. He added that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen only on terms set by Iran.

The exchange casts doubt on prospects for turning the June 17 memorandum of understanding into a lasting peace deal. Speaking at the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said he considers the agreement finished: "I don't want to deal with them anymore. I consider them dishonorable people."

Still, Trump downplayed the risk of a return to full-scale war, saying he expects the situation to "resolve itself very quickly."

Oil prices rose in the aftermath. Brent crude futures gained roughly 1%, trading near $78.80 a barrel.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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