Donald Trump’s deal to end the war he started with Iran is in tatters, and the resumed hostilities have sent the president’s top attack dog into meltdown.
“We entered into an agreement that the Iranians violated,” Stephen Miller, 40, raged during an appearance on Fox News with host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night. “President Trump made clear—you do not cross the United States. You do not violate an agreement with the United States. You do not break your word with President Trump, or America.”
“You attack shipping in violation of that agreement, and you will pay a hellish price,” the Deputy Chief of Staff continued. “They made one vital mistake, Sean. They forgot that Donald Trump is the president.”
Trump, 80, launched his war with Iran on Feb. 28. The conflict, and in particular the Islamist regime’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping corridor in the Persian Gulf, has sent gas prices skyrocketing and shockwaves across the global economy.
The president entered into a tentative peace agreement with Tehran on June 17. Iran pledged to reopen the strait in exchange for the U.S. lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, and underwriting billions for reconstruction. Even Republicans balked at the terms of the deal, which Trump signed at Versailles, a venue long synonymous with national humiliation.
The ceasefire was meant as a temporary measure while negotiators hammer out the terms of a lasting peace. It has not held. Iran resumed its attacks on vessels in the strait last week. The U.S. responded with waves of strikes against Iranian targets, with Trump declaring the ceasefire now “over.”
Hostilities have mounted in the days since. As Miller spoke with Fox on Tuesday, the U.S. conducted its fourth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, while Iran targeted American military assets in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Trump himself told the TV network that the attacks would “continue until I say it’s enough,” and that the U.S. will begin targeting key infrastructure like bridges and power plants “next week” unless Tehran returns to the table for peace talks. He has not ruled out the possibility of a “ground campaign,” but said “we have other people that will do the ground campaign for us,” without specifying who.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment on this story.
