U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is "over," accusing Tehran's leadership of acting in bad faith after fresh attacks reignited tensions in the Gulf.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump said he no longer wanted to engage with Iranian leaders, describing them as "sick people," "liars" and "scum."
"As far as I'm concerned, it's over," Trump said when asked about the future of the ceasefire. "It's just a waste of time dealing with them."
His remarks came after U.S. forces carried out fresh strikes on Iranian targets in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Despite his strong comments, Trump indicated that U.S. negotiators, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would continue diplomatic contacts with Iran, although he expressed little confidence that negotiations would produce results.
The renewed hostilities have effectively shattered the fragile ceasefire reached just weeks ago and sent global oil prices sharply higher amid fears of prolonged instability in the Middle East.
