UNITED States President Donald Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is “over”, describing Iranian leaders as “sick people” after Iran and the US exchanged military attacks.
“I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them any more, they’re scum,” Trump said on Wednesday at a NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara, when asked if the ceasefire with Iran was over.
“They’re scum, they’re sick people, they’re led by sick people, and they’re vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it.”
The US president’s comments come after the US and Iranian forces exchanged attacks in the Gulf.
US Central Command said it launched “powerful strikes” against more than 80 “targets” after Iranian attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s traded oil passes. The US attacks came hours after the US Treasury said it revoked a sanctions waiver allowing sales of Iranian crude oil.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its forces responded by attacking 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The US and Iran agreed a ceasefire in their war in April, and the truce was extended by 60 days last month when the two sides agreed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities.
Despite saying the truce was “over”, Trump also said US negotiators would be allowed to continue talks with their Iranian counterparts.
“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.
Reporting from Ankara, Al Jazeera’s James Bays said Trump’s rhetoric marks a stark departure from a few weeks ago, when he delivered “somewhat complimentary” remarks about the Iranian leadership.
Bays says the question is whether “this [is] just tough talk from Trump … or does this mean he is really tearing up the Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] that was agreed on about three weeks ago?”
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, describing them as a flagrant violation of the two countries’ sovereignty and a continuation of Tehran’s efforts to undermine regional peace efforts.
In a statement, Secretary-General Mohamed AlBudaiwi said the strikes represented a direct threat to the safety of citizens and residents and a grave breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.
“The attacks confirm Iran’s continued approach aimed at undermining international and regional efforts to establish security and peace and resolve the crisis,” said AlBudaiwi.
Reporting from Doha, Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina said he believes “we’ll see a measured approach from the Gulf countries” following these latest US and Iranian attacks as “nobody here in the Gulf wants to see a resumption of hostilities.
“I think there’s going to be a diplomatic push from across the Gulf to bring Iran and the US back to the negotiating table. Nobody wants to see a breakdown of this ceasefire, or the MoU,” he said.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas said Trump’s remarks “will definitely have repercussions in Tehran”.
Following its attacks on the two Gulf countries, Iran’s IRGC said “in the coming days, they are going to retaliate in a harsher way,” said Serdar Atas.
While the Iranian leadership has accused the US of violating several articles of the MoU, “[neither side has] said that it’s over yet”, however, said Serdar Atas.
The latest flare-up risks derailing last month’s agreement between the US and Iran to extend their ceasefire and enter into talks on permanently ending the war, although neither country has immediately signalled their intention to abandon negotiations.
It comes after a promised pause in US attacks as Iran holds funeral processions for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US and Israeli strikes at the start of the war on February 28.