Iran says peace deal voided, fighting 'existential war' after US attacks
Iran declared the interim peace deal with the US null after American strikes killed seven Iranian soldiers, and is now waging an 'existential war,' while launching counterattacks on Gulf states.
Iran's top negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, announced on Wednesday that the country's armed forces have 'complete freedom of action' against the 'enemy's aggression' after a day of US attacks killed seven Iranian troops. The Wednesday strikes were the latest in escalating hostilities between Washington and Tehran that appear to have doomed the interim peace deal agreed on June 17.
The US announced several rounds of air strikes on Iran, saying it hit military targets in coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz and on Greater Tunb island. Iran's army said one strike hit a barracks in Bampour, southeast Iran, killing seven personnel from the 388th Brigade. Iranian media reported that an overnight US attack also hit a wheat storage facility in Khuzestan province, which the US military denied.
The US announced its latest wave of strikes on Wednesday at 10:30pm Iranian time, as Iranian media reported explosions in or near Bandar Abbas, Chabahar and Ahvaz. The US military also said it had redirected two commercial vessels as part of a renewed blockade on Iranian ports.
Tehran said the repeated US attacks had voided the memorandum of understanding with Washington that underpinned the fragile ceasefire. Ghalibaf said Iran was 'in an essential and existential war with America' and had no reason to continue adhering to the peace agreement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran abandoned its commitments because the US reneged on its pledges.
On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a major military logistics hub in Mina Abdullah, Kuwait. Kuwait's Ministry of Defence said it downed at least four cruise missiles and 21 drones from Iran. Jordan's military said it downed three missiles. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi condemned Iran's attacks, saying they reveal Iran's determination to drag the region into chaos.
US President Donald Trump warned that attacks would intensify if Iran's leaders did not return to negotiations, even threatening to 'knock out' power plants and bridges. He declined to give a firm deadline. Ghalibaf said Iran was still balancing diplomacy and military action to protect its national interests.
