President Donald Trump has announced that he no longer believes the ceasefire agreement with Iran is in effect.
The United States conducted military strikes on Iran following the withdrawal of permission for the sale of Iranian oil, citing Iran’s alleged attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. In retaliation, Iran launched strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait.
During the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump referred to Iran as “scum” and expressed his view that the ceasefire is over, stating, “I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum. I’ll speak to our negotiators, they want to negotiate, they’re good people. But as far as I’m concerned it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars… There’s something wrong with them. They’re cuckoo. As far as I’m concerned it’s over.”
Although Trump declared the end of the interim agreement with Iran, he indicated that talks could still proceed. “For me, I think it’s over. It’s just a waste of time dealing with them,” he said while attending the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
Recent hostilities between the US and Iran occurred amid the funeral ceremonies for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The funeral, which concludes on Thursday, was initially expected to be a period of reduced tensions, but calls for retribution against Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been made by mourners.
Trump reiterated his stance on the ceasefire and the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, stating, “I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum. I’ll speak to our negotiators, they want to negotiate, they’re good people. But as far as I’m concerned it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars. There’s something wrong with them. They’re cuckoo. As far as I’m concerned it’s over.”
The US military launched an attack on Iran in response to alleged Iranian strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the revocation of Iran’s oil sales permission. Iran retaliated by targeting Bahrain and Kuwait.
These escalating tensions have raised concerns about the potential breakdown of the interim ceasefire agreement. The US Central Command stated that the strikes aimed to retaliate against attacks on civilian-manned commercial ships in international waters.
The US military targeted Iranian assets, including air defense systems, radar installations, and more than 60 small boats used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which posed threats to ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.