Trump Confirms US Intention to Continue Striking Iran

US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning that Washington could launch further military strikes against Iran, possibly as early as Wednesday evening. He said the United States would respond harshly to Iran's recent hostile actions.

He made the remarks to reporters at the NATO summit in Turkey. The president also confirmed that the existing memorandum of understanding, which had served as an initial ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, has definitively expired and is no longer in effect.

However, Trump did not explicitly confirm whether Washington would return to a full-scale state of war. It remains unclear whether bilateral negotiations on a lasting peace agreement will continue. "I don't know if we're going to have a deal. We may just do it without a deal," he said.

Tensions escalated after Iran attacked US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for incidents involving tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The clashes immediately sent oil prices soaring and sparked serious security concerns in the region.

According to the latest maritime data, at least four large oil and gas tankers turned back rather than risk sailing through the strategic waterway.

(Reuters, Max)