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The president Donald Trump stated this Tuesday in Iran has violated the ceasefire numerous times, less than 24 hours before the expiration of the bilateral ceasefire agreement reached two weeks ago.
The ceasefire was announced by Trump on April 7 and 8, temporarily ending Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel, which destroyed over 90% of Iran's missile capabilities, 95% of its drones, and more than 5,000 targets, including nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
The agreement, mediated by Pakistan, conditioned the truce on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed by Iran since March 4, blocking 20% of the global oil supply and leaving 2,000 ships with 20,000 sailors stranded.
The allegations made by Washington have been piling up since day one: Iran shot down an American drone hours after the announcement of the ceasefire, fired at a French vessel and a British cargo ship in Hormuz on April 18, and partially closed the strait on April 19, which Trump described as a total violation of the ceasefire agreement.
On April 20, marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded and took control of the cargo ship M/V TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, after the USS Spruance destroyer fired upon its engine room to incapacitate it.
Iran described the approach as piracy and announced that it will not participate in new discussions with Washington, further complicating the diplomatic landscape.
The nuclear negotiations held in Islamabad, Pakistan, led by Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, failed in two rounds: the first took place between April 10 and 12, and the second between April 17 and 18.
United States demands the complete dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program and a twenty-year moratorium on uranium enrichment, while Iran has only offered five years and requested 270 billion dollars in compensation.
The U.S. naval blockade, established on April 13 with more than a dozen warships, 100 aircraft, and 10,000 personnel, is costing Iran 500 million dollars a day, according to sources cited in conflict reports.
The Iranian regime warned this Tuesday that it has new cards to play on the battlefield if the ceasefire is broken, according to the Irish Times.
With the deadline expiring on April 22, Trump had warned on April 20 that, without an agreement, many bombs would start to fall, while prediction markets placed the likelihood at 49% that the president himself would declare the ceasefire broken this Tuesday.
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