U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Agreement Expires Without a Deal or an Extension
The White House said it would not extend the 60-day memorandum signed June 18. Iran said it would shift to a fully offensive posture, and each side again blamed the other.
The 60-day memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, signed June 18 as a temporary ceasefire meant to allow talks on ending the war, expired Monday, August 17, without an agreement, and the White House said it would not seek to extend it, Democracy Now and Just Security report.
President Trump told reporters Iran was unlikely to accept the deal he wants and called on Tehran to surrender. Iran's Foreign Ministry said the country would shift to a fully offensive military posture; spokesman Esmail Baghaei said negotiations never began because the United States had violated the agreement within weeks of signing it. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Trump in a call to keep pursuing talks and offered Turkey's support, Reuters reported.
The next day, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging its engine room and killing a crew member, Reuters and Al Jazeera reported.
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