“When Will Iranians Rise?” Trump Says He Does Not Care About Negotiations

Donald Trump says he does not care whether Iran signs an agreement, even as the United States and Iran continue exchanging attacks despite a ceasefire and a preliminary deal intended to end their conflict.

The war began on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched operations against Iran. A ceasefire took effect on April 7, and Trump later signed a preliminary agreement ending the conflict in Versailles on June 17. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the agreement in Tehran. Yet attacks continued repeatedly, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, followed by Iranian retaliation.

Trump said at the turn of July and August that the United States had suspended its attacks at the request of allies in the Middle East. But after two days of renewed U.S. strikes, he wrote on Truth Social: “I am not trying to force Iran to return to the negotiating table, as ABC Fake News reported. I do not care at all whether they sign an agreement that is worthless to them anyway. I much prefer our current position. We have almost total control of the Strait of Hormuz, and their economy is completely collapsing. They are only delaying what is inevitable. When will Iranians finally rise up and start fighting?”

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I am not trying to force Iran to return to the negotiating table, as ABC Fake News reported. I do not care at all whether they sign an agreement that is worthless to them anyway. I much prefer our current position. We have almost total control of the Strait of Hormuz, and their economy is completely collapsing. They are only delaying what is inevitable. When will Iranians finally rise up and start fighting?

Trump had previously said the United States controlled the Strait of Hormuz and that it had been completely cleared of mines. Shipping traffic, however, remains far below its prewar level. As many as 150 ships crossed the strait each day before the war, compared with several to a dozen or so now.

U.S. Central Command said American forces struck Iranian air defenses, radar systems and naval assets. Iranian media reported attacks on numerous targets, mostly near the strait. The Iranian Red Crescent said five people died and 50 were wounded in a strike near Bandar Sirik, with wedding attendees among those affected. Mehr reported that a four-year-old girl was killed, while IRNA put the number of wounded at 68. The United States had not commented on the reports. Reuters, citing two sources, said the strike on civilians may have resulted from outdated U.S. target lists. Iran then attacked U.S.-linked assets in Jordan and threatened further strikes.

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This atrocity cannot be separated from the series of crimes that preceded it.