President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that Iranian leaders had contacted him to request a deal, hours after the United States launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said, “They called a little while ago; they very much want to make a deal,” but added, “I just don’t know if they are deserving of a deal.” The remarks came as the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed additional operations against approximately 90 sites in Iran, including air-defence systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile and drone storage facilities, aimed at degrading Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Viewed from Washington, the strikes are a direct response to what US officials describe as Iranian attacks on multiple vessels transiting the strait. Trump told journalists that the American retaliation followed a “20-to-1” ratio, warning that any further Iranian action would be met with even heavier force. A US official familiar with the discussions, cited by regional media, indicated that the president’s decision was partly driven by anger over the failure to fully reopen the waterway and by the timing of the Iranian strikes, which coincided with his meetings with allied leaders in Turkey. The White House has also expressed frustration with the pace of nuclear negotiations, with Trump publicly calling Iranian negotiators “liars” and dismissing further talks as a “waste of time.”

From Tehran’s perspective, the American escalation is a violation of the memorandum of understanding signed on 17 June, which had established a 60-day ceasefire and a framework for permanent peace talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to state-linked outlets, condemned the US decision to revoke a related licence as a “flagrant violation” demonstrating “bad faith.” In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced strikes on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, and a senior military source told the Nour News agency that all regional bases used for American attacks would become targets. Iranian authorities have also reiterated their insistence on retaining the right to uranium enrichment and have demanded the withdrawal of US forces, the lifting of port blockades, and compensation payments as preconditions for any lasting settlement.

The collapse of the truce has immediate economic and security repercussions. Brent crude prices surged more than seven percent, surpassing $79 per barrel, as markets priced in the risk of a prolonged disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil transits. Regional capitals are bracing for further instability: Iranian state television reported explosions in multiple southern and coastal provinces, while the Bahraini defence force claimed its air-defence systems intercepted Iranian missiles and drones. The escalation unfolds against the backdrop of the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in US-Israeli strikes in February, and a broader US objective, stated by Trump, to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. With the ceasefire now publicly declared over and both sides issuing threats of intensified retaliation, the diplomatic track remains formally open but practically frozen, and no new talks have been scheduled.