The ceasefire had been shaky for days before this. Trump had already called the deal over on Wednesday at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, saying negotiating with Iran was a waste of time.He didn't hold back on his feelings either. He called Iran's leaders "sick" and said he didn't like dealing with them, though he'd let American negotiators keep trying if they wanted to.The comments came right after U.S. strikes on Iran, which officials called retaliation for attacks on tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz. That's the same strait that's now seeing far less ship traffic than it did just weeks ago. Markets didn't love the news either. Oil jumped fast.
And the diplomacy hasn't fully stopped despite all the tough talk. Qatari negotiators traveled to Iran to meet with officials there, working alongside the U.S. to try to cool things down.
A U.S. official said the strategy has been to strike, then pause, giving diplomacy room to breathe between rounds of fighting.Word is another round of talks could happen next week, maybe in Switzerland. Iran's Bushehr province took hits too, with a provincial official telling local media two military bases were targeted, though no casualties were reported. The Strait of Hormuz saw its traffic climb back up during the ceasefire window and drop right back off once the strikes resumed.
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