WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0A tentative armistice between the United States and Iran reached less than a month ago appeared all but dead Wednesday after the two sides traded fresh military strikes, and as President Trump directed further attacks on the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n
The escalation marked a dramatic turn after the Trump administration spent weeks selling a diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran that proved controversial across the political aisle, lifting oil sanctions and a naval blockade on Iran in exchange for the promise of talks over the status of the Strait of Hormuz and its decades-old nuclear program.<\/p>\n
Now, speaking to reporters at the NATO summit<\/a> in Turkey, Trump said he believed the truce \u2014 which diplomats describe as a memorandum of understanding \u2014 was \u201cover\u201d and that it was a \u201cwaste of time\u201d dealing with Iranian leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re scum. They\u2019re sick people,\u201d Trump said of Iranian leaders, whom he had characterized last month as \u201cvery rational people\u201d and \u201cvery nice to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n The president\u2019s dim views of the ceasefire agreement\u2019s fate were shared by Iran\u2019s foreign ministry, which issued a statement on Wednesday saying the American attacks, the reinstatement of a U.S. naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel\u2019s continuing attacks in Lebanon rendered \u201cimportant and fundamental\u201d parts of the deal \u201cineffective<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The truce\u2019s unraveling was underscored by Trump ordering the U.S. military to launch a series of strikes against Iran on Wednesday afternoon to \u201cfurther degrade their ability to threaten\u201d the commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. <\/p>\n \u201cThe United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,\u201d U.S. Central Command said in a statement on social media.<\/p>\n Earlier in the day, Trump signaled that the United States planned to \u201chit them hard\u201d and floated the possibility of taking over Kharg Island, which is vital to Iran\u2019s economy. His remarks quickly prompted oil prices to rise and global stock markets to fall, a worry that Trump acknowledged but which did not seem to sway his decision-making in relation to Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we hit Iran, oil goes up a little bit, it is all right,\u201d Trump said. He later added that the United States may \u201cdo some other thing that could lift it a little bit, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s gonna lift it a lot at all.\u201d<\/p>\n As Trump signals the continuation of fighting, his administration has been seeking more than $67 billion in funding to cover expenses related to the Iran war<\/a>, a request that Congress has not yet approved as lawmakers have been split over the president\u2019s handling of the conflict. <\/p>\n \u201cThe American people are paying the price for Trump\u2019s total failure in Iran,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement Wednesday. \u201cOur troops are back in harm\u2019s way and high gas costs are continuing to punish working families.\u201d<\/p>\n The president\u2019s stance on the war marked the latest setback to a fragile truce that has barely held since the 14-page agreement<\/a> was signed June 17, as the U.S. and Iran engaged over the last few weeks in cycles of attacks and counterattacks.<\/p>\n Trump was noticeably angrier at Iran on Wednesday as he cast doubt over the deal. Last month, Trump had complimented Iranian leadership for trying to reach a peace deal and celebrated the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for the world\u2019s oil and gas. But based on his remarks, it was clear he was out of patience.<\/p>\n \u201cI am not happy with them,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThey\u2019re cuckoo. There\u2019s something wrong with these people. For 47 years, they\u2019ve been the bully of the Middle East and they are not the bully anymore. They are not the bully anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump expressed frustration with Iran\u2019s negotiators and their resistance to abiding by U.S. demands to reopen the strait. When asked if he intended to send troops to Iran, the president dismissed the idea. <\/p>\n \u201cWhy would I go in now?\u201d Trump said. \u201cI\u2019d go in when they\u2019re completely eliminated or an agreement is made.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, the president kept the door open for negotiations, saying that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner \u201cwant to negotiate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re good people, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, but they have to come back to me,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, it\u2019s just a waste of time dealing with [the Iranians]. They\u2019re liars.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest breakdown to the ceasefire followed a now-familiar chain reaction of tit-for-tat attacks, starting with a series of strikes on three oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, including a Qatari vessel carrying natural gas, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations<\/a> center. <\/p>\n The Qatari tanker was off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the maritime monitor said, in what experts say was a move to thwart ships attempting to use an alternate transit route to the one Iran specified. Iran did not claim responsibility, but a report on Iranian state television said the Qatari tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings to turn back. <\/p>\n The two other vessels were damaged but were able to continue to their destination, according to the U.K. group.<\/p>\n Qatar, which has played a vital role in facilitating negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, condemned the attack on its tanker as \u201cunacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n