US Launches Strikes on Iran, Trump Shares Explosions Meme

On the same evening that the U.S. launched missile strikes on Iran and just hours before declaring the ceasefire over, Donald Trump shared a cartoonish meme and videos of explosions in a late-night posting spree.​

U.S. Central Command confirmed on X that “powerful strikes” had been launched against Iran on June 7, in response to attacks by the Islamic Republic on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM branded Iran’s behavior as “unwarranted, dangerous and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”​ At a press conference with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump slammed Iran as “evil, sick people” and “scum”.

Overnight, the president reshared an image, originally posted by another social media user, of a cartoonish explosion accompanied by the word, “BOOM!”​

The post, which Trump uploaded to Truth Social, was captioned, “I voted for this!”​

The president also reshared footage of multiple explosions erupting in a populated area, which had been shared by political commentator Eyal Yakoby. ​

Yakoby captioned the footage, “BREAKING: Massive strikes against Iran.”​

On X, a spokesperson for CENTCOM confirmed that the strikes on Iran had led to 80 targets being hit. ​

The U.S. struck Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar sites, command and control networks, anti-ship missile capabilities and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the spokesperson wrote.

​They claimed that Iran’s attacks on the three commercial vessels had been a “clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire”.

Also on X, CENTCOM stated that the U.S. strikes had been carried out to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway”.

​On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury confirmed it would revoke the temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil.

Part of the U.S.’s so-called “memorandum of understanding” with Iran was an agreement to lift the United States’ naval blockade on Iran in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. ​

According to Reuters, the Treasury Department also cancelled a license announced in June that would have enabled Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil into August.​ The move came after the attack on the tankers. ​

On X, Mohammad Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator, accused the U.S. of reinstating oil sanctions and carrying out attacks on southern Iran.

He added, “We don’t fold.”