President Donald Trump is itching to tear up his own ceasefire after his talks with Iran imploded.
The 79-year-old president is weighing whether to resume strikes on Iran, officials and people familiar with the situation have told The Wall Street Journal, just a few days after he triumphantly declared a “double-sided CEASEFIRE.”
Trump is eyeing limited revenge strikes to break a stalemate in negotiations after Vice President JD Vance failed to reach a peace deal with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday following 21 hours of talks.
A return to a full bombing campaign is also still on the cards, but officials told the Journal that Trump is less likely to pursue that option because it could further destabilize the region and prolong the war.
Trump already retaliated for the collapse of the peace talks earlier Sunday, declaring that the U.S. Navy would blockade “any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.”
The bloodthirsty commander-in-chief also revived his threat to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure while calling into Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
“I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinization plants, their electric-generating plants, which are very easy to hit,” Trump told host Maria Bartiromo.
When reached for comment, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told the Daily Beast in a statement that Trump “wisely keeps all additional options on the table” while dismissing reporting on his deliberations.
“Anyone who thinks that they know what President Trump will do next is purely speculating,” Wales said.
The talks in Pakistan collapsed after Iran refused to abandon its nuclear program, along with several other sticking points.
U.S. officials told the Journal that Trump’s conditions in further negotiations with Iran include the full opening of the Strait of Hormuz, without the transit tolls Iran has imposed, and an end to Iranian support to proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, in addition to the elimination of its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Tehran’s demands include control of the Strait of Hormuz, war reparations, and a region-wide ceasefire including Lebanon, CNBC reports.
Trump, who has sought an exit ramp to the war he started more than six weeks ago amid MAGA backlash, rising oil prices, and market turmoil, retreated from his crazed threat to wipe out a “whole civilization” last week to announce that the U.S. and Iran had agreed to hold talks.
At the time, he triumphantly wrote, “it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution,” even as Iran now holds greater leverage in negotiations due to its control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments flow.
