Trump Declares Ceasefire with Iran 'Over' but Open to Talks

ANKARA, Turkey — U.S. President Donald Trump declared the June 17 ceasefire agreement with Iran "over" on Wednesday, calling the Iranian leadership "trash" during a NATO summit in Ankara. However, he told reporters that negotiations with Tehran could continue. "For me, it's finished. I don't want to negotiate with them, because they are trash," Trump said alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "They are sick people, led by sick, violent people. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it." The comments came after a new wave of U.S. airstrikes against Iran. NATO's Rutte backed the strikes, saying they were "absolutely necessary" because Iran was violating the ceasefire. "We saw what happened yesterday with the attacks on ships. It is totally crucial that the U.S. reacts firmly," Rutte said. Trump explained that he had promised a period of calm for the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who died in the initial attacks of the war that began on February 28. But he justified the new bombings as retaliation for Iranian attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. "We told them to hold the funeral, and instead they started firing rockets at ships. So we hit them hard last night, very hard," Trump said. "They play dirty. They go after everyone. I was probably on their hit list too," he added, without providing evidence. The U.S. president said he would speak with his negotiating team, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. "They want to negotiate. They are good people. But they have to come back to me. In my opinion, it's a waste of time dealing with them [Iran]," he said. Trump also criticized Iran's position on the negotiations. "They lie. We agreed: no nuclear weapons. Then they tell the press we never discussed it. What is wrong with them? They are crazy," he said. The statements create new confusion over the future of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. This is the second wave of significant attacks between the two countries since they signed the initial agreement. Just before Trump's announcement, Iran accused the U.S. of a "grave violation" of the memorandum with the latest bombings. Tehran said these attacks, along with Israeli bombings in Lebanon and Washington's revocation of Iranian oil sales permits, leave several clauses of the pact "null and void." The ceasefire collapse began after Iran's Revolutionary Guard attacked U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. That was in response to a U.S. offensive on Tuesday against Iranian targets, which Washington said was retaliation for Iranian attacks on Monday against three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said it struck Iran on Tuesday night "to impose serious consequences for attacking merchant ships crewed by innocent civilians on an international waterway." Iran responded "initially" by attacking 85 military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to state television Press TV, citing the Revolutionary Guard. The reported targets included the Port Salman base in Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait. The Guard also claimed to have shot down an MQ-9 drone, insisting that the U.S. had violated the memorandum first.