US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the interim agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending weeks of hostilities was effectively "over," following a sharp escalation in military exchanges across the Gulf that has further rattled global energy markets and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military launched a new series of airstrikes on Friday after Tehran struck a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz with a drone, thus presenting a fresh test for the fragile ceasefire, said media reports, even as Israel and Lebanon reached a framework deal for peace.
The US and Iran have signaled that an agreement to end their war was close, with a senior US administration official saying both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign an initial deal soon, said media reports. Hours after the White House statement on the deal, the US military had it had downed multiple Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz.
