Trump orders fresh strikes on Iran

The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is over, with President Trump ordering a new round of air strikes on Iran to let the regime there know the United States still has the upper hand in this conflict.

Only yesterday, President Trump said a peace agreement would be imminent and the war would come to an end in two weeks time.

After today’s strikes, the war is likely to escalate.

US Central Command issued a statement which read: “We began launching self-defence strikes against Iran at 5 pm ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional  response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has said that as a result of US aggression, the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen in the immediate future and that Iran will respond in kind to this latest attack.

The war started 100 days ago and was supposed to be over in four weeks but has dragged into summer. The President announced a ceasefire in April so both sides could agree to terms.

President Trump has said repeatedly that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and must cease attacks on Israel. He threatened to lay waste to Iranian civilisation.

Iran has remained resolute, not backing down and has maintained control of the vital waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil passes. Oil prices have risen sharply since the war started, leading to a global uptick in inflation.

Earlier this week, Israel conducted air strikes on both Iran and Lebanon and did not pay heed to Trump’s attempt to secure a peace deal. Israeli officials are of the view that there is no better time to eradicate Iran as a threat than now, while gaining territory in Lebanon.

President Trump has made it clear that he is the one calling the shots and that it would be wise for Benjamin Netanyahu to back down and hold his corner. By continuing attacks, Israel gives Iran no reason to reach an agreement and serves to antagonise the regime as well as galvanise the Iranian people.

The Republican Party agrees with President Trump’s assessment and is calling on Israel not to strike Iran at this time and to follow President Trump’s lead.

“The Strait of Hormuz is NOT international waters but shared between Oman. Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents or potentially being caught in crossfire.

“To reduce risk, the best solution is for them to leave. We prefer the language of diplomacy but speak other languages too,” said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Iran has taken what the US and Israel have thrown at it and continues to survive. The country has not surrendered, and its people have not overthrown the regime.

Iran’s top security official, Ibrahim Azizi, said: “We don’t think Trump is honest but we have said many times that we accept the negotiation as a continuation of the battlefield. We consider negotiation to be part of the battle. If we could be convinced that there is sincerity in the Americans especially in the President of the United States, and we could reach confidence that they are people of negotiation and that they also submit to the rules of negotiation, then the Islamic Republic would have no problem with negotiating.

“We do not see a serious will to reach a framework that could actually be implemented. I think, with regard to Iran’s blocked assets, this is in fact a very clear and prominent example of that. As for uranium-enriched materials, enrichment itself and nuclear issues, we are not currently negotiating matters.

“Can a peace deal be reached? If the same behaviours continue, then no, we do not have any trust at all, and with this lack of trust, it is not possible for negotiations to continue.”