Iran Abandons Trump's Peace Deal And Calls His Signature 'Worthless' On Seventh Night Of The War He Has Twice Declared Over, Resolving Long-Standing Concern That A Historic Agreement Might Outlast The Month In Which It Was Signed
WASHINGTON. Insisting that his Iran peace agreement remained the greatest diplomatic achievement in modern history, President Donald Trump on Saturday marked the deal's first month with a seventh consecutive night of open warfare, as Tehran formally suspended its commitments and U.S. Central Command confirmed that two American service members had been killed in an Iranian strike on a base in Jordan.
The agreement, which the president signed in June beneath the gilded ceilings of Versailles and which G7 leaders praised despite not being permitted to read it, has now produced roughly four weeks of the bombing it was designed to end. Central Command said two ballistic missiles struck the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, killing two service members and leaving one missing, the first American combat deaths in the conflict since March and bringing the war's U.S. military toll to sixteen.
Iran's deputy foreign minister announced that the country was halting its obligations under the memorandum of understanding, accusing Washington of violating a deal Washington had spent the preceding three weeks enforcing with cruise missiles. Iran's supreme leader went further, declaring in a statement that the president's signature was "worthless and invalid," a characterization the White House dismissed as premature.
"The strikes will continue until I say it's enough," Trump told reporters, adding that the enemy was closer than ever to the lasting peace he had already announced twice. Sources within the administration described the president as pleased with the deal's durability, noting that it had survived several rounds of the president personally bombing the other party to it.
Officials emphasized that the ceasefire remained fully in effect and was merely passing through a period of sustained missile exchange, a phase they said had been anticipated in the portions of the agreement no one has been allowed to see. The president is scheduled to travel Sunday to present the World Cup trophy.
At press time, Trump was preparing to accept credit for ending a war that his own aides confirmed was, at that moment, entering its eighth day.