U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the conflict is over, adding that he didn’t want to engage with Tehran. Mr Trump’s statement came during the press conference at NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara, following the US and Iran traded strikes, after three Tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iran has not directly claimed responsibility. 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 with no sign of headway, and the U.S. military unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran yesterday.
Earlier, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on US military installations following the US attacks on its Hormozgan province and the port city of Mahshahr. According to Iranian media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy and Aerospace Forces carried out a joint missile and drone operation targeting 85 US military facilities. The US has carried out a fresh round of airstrikes on Iran, targeting more than 80 locations in response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, command and control centres, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile systems, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast boats in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The US said the operation was aimed at weakening Iran’s ability to attack international shipping. It also accused Tehran of targeting commercial vessels carrying civilian crews.
