President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he considers the ceasefire agreement with Iran to be "over," saying he no longer sees value in negotiating with Tehran.
Speaking at a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump slammed Iran's leadership after US Central Command launched strikes in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran later announced it had targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation: "I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore, they're scum ... they're led by sick people and they're vicious, violent people," Trump said.
"We make a deal. [Iran] go outside, talk to the press, they say 'we never even talked about it'. There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo. As far as I'm concerned, it's over."
CENTCOM said Tuesday it had carried out "powerful" strikes after three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz came under attack. The escalation was the most significant exchange of strikes since the United States and Iran reached an interim agreement in June aimed at ending hostilities and protecting maritime traffic through the waterway.
Trump also suggested any further negotiations would be left to his diplomatic team, though he expressed little confidence they would succeed.
"Frankly, I don't want to waste my time with them. Now, I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it," Trump said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars."
He later added, "I'll speak to our negotiators, if they want to negotiate, they're good people - Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner - but they have to come back to me, as far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time."
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of violating the memorandum of understanding between the two countries. "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold," Ghalibaf said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the US response, calling the strikes "absolutely necessary" and saying Iran was "basically violating the ceasefire." The Americans also announced it had reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil sales after revoking a temporary suspension.
Speaking at a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump slammed Iran's leadership after US Central Command launched strikes in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran later announced it had targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation: "I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore, they're scum ... they're led by sick people and they're vicious, violent people," Trump said.
"We make a deal. [Iran] go outside, talk to the press, they say 'we never even talked about it'. There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo. As far as I'm concerned, it's over."
CENTCOM said Tuesday it had carried out "powerful" strikes after three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz came under attack. The escalation was the most significant exchange of strikes since the United States and Iran reached an interim agreement in June aimed at ending hostilities and protecting maritime traffic through the waterway.
Trump also suggested any further negotiations would be left to his diplomatic team, though he expressed little confidence they would succeed.
"Frankly, I don't want to waste my time with them. Now, I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it," Trump said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars."
He later added, "I'll speak to our negotiators, if they want to negotiate, they're good people - Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner - but they have to come back to me, as far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time."
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of violating the memorandum of understanding between the two countries. "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold," Ghalibaf said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the US response, calling the strikes "absolutely necessary" and saying Iran was "basically violating the ceasefire." The Americans also announced it had reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil sales after revoking a temporary suspension.
