Trump says ceasefire with Iran is on ‘massive life support’

Trump Iran ceasefire collapses after US strike kills 18 Revolutionary Guards

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump declared the Iran ceasefire “on massive life support” hours after US warplanes bombed a Guard missile depot near Isfahan.

The overnight strike killed 18 Revolutionary Guards and marked America’s first acknowledged attack on Iranian soil since the crisis began six weeks ago.

The truce had halted an Iranian missile barrage that wounded 42 US troops and the downing of an F-35 that killed its pilot. Both sides had exchanged fire through proxies but avoided direct clashes until now.

Trump spoke to reporters on the White House driveway at 7:43 am, still wearing his overcoat from the residence. “The deal was breathing. Now it’s on massive life support,” he said. “Iran broke the terms. They moved mobile launchers. They paid the price.” Asked if the ceasefire could be revived, the president replied: “Doubtful. Very doubtful.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the raid during a Pentagon briefing minutes later. He said three B-2 stealth bombers dropped 48 precision-guided bombs on a tunnel complex 12 miles southeast of Isfahan. Satellite images released by the military showed craters gouged into desert hills and burning vehicles scattered across a dirt road. Hegseth claimed the depot stored Fateh-110 ballistic missiles that could reach US bases in Qatar and Kuwait.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a furious statement at noon, vowing “immediate and crushing” retaliation. The corps said the dead included a brigadier general who supervised missile logistics. State television showed rows of coffins draped in red, white and green flags inside a Tehran mosque. Crowds chanted “Death to America” while guardsmen wept beside the closed caskets.

The strike scrambled world capitals. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged restraint in an urgent phone call with Tehran’s foreign minister, according to the Foreign Office. French President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a trip to Beirut and summoned Iran’s ambassador in Paris. China called the bombing “a dangerous escalation” and urged both sides back to indirect talks that had continued in Oman.

Oil markets convulsed. Brent crude surged $4.80 to $87.60 a barrel, its highest since November, after tanker trackers reported three VLCC carriers holding position outside the Strait of Hormuz rather than entering. Shipping giant Maersk told customers it would suspend new bookings through the waterway until further notice, echoing moves made during the 2019 tanker crisis.

Inside Iran, hard-liners demanded the government abandon the freeze on uranium enrichment that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accepted last month. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf told lawmakers the Guard would be “free to respond without restrictions.” Moderate former president Hassan Rouhani warned on Twitter that “destroying the diplomatic bridge benefits only warmongers on both sides.”

Background

The ceasefire took shape after Iran fired 52 ballistic missiles at US bases in Iraq and Syria on March 22, retaliating for the Israeli assassination of a nuclear scientist in Damascus. Trump ordered limited counterstrikes on proxy warehouses but avoided Iranian territory after Pentagon models warned 3,000 Americans could die in the first week of full war. Instead he approved a sanctions relief package that unlocked $10 billion in frozen oil revenue in exchange for Tehran capping enrichment at 20 percent and halting missile tests. The truce held for 19 days but began fraying last week when US intelligence detected missile convoys rolling toward the Iraqi border.

What’s Next

The White House scheduled an emergency national-security meeting for 3 pm. Congressional leaders from both parties will be briefed at 5 pm, according to Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council meets at sunset, and Arab diplomats expect a statement before midnight that could order renewed missile launches or the mining of Gulf shipping lanes. European Union foreign ministers hold an extraordinary session in Brussels on Thursday to weigh reimposing UN sanctions that lapsed during the 2015 nuclear deal.

The next 48 hours will show whether this was a calibrated warning or the opening salvo of a wider conflict that oil analysts warn could send prices above $120 a barrel and crash fragile Western economies just months before midterm elections.