US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire deal with Iran was “over” and described further engagement with Tehran as “a waste of time”, following a fresh escalation in tensions.
His remarks came after air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain and Kuwait, while Iran claimed it had targeted 85 US military installations in retaliation for attacks on its Hormozgan province and the port city of Mahshahr.
Speaking to reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said the United States had struck Iran “very hard” and warned that Washington would respond to any further attacks. “I told them that every time you hit, we hit,” he said.
He accused Iran of being “dirty players” and said they were a “cancer” that had to be cut out early. Calling Iranian government leaders “evil people, sick people,” Trump said, “…we have to rid of that cancer… You got to cut out cancer early.”
“I don’t want to deal with them, but they’re scum,” Trump said. “You know what scum is? 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.”
Iran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, Trump said, adding that Tehran had been “trouble” for 47 years. He reiterated that the US objective was the denuclearisation of Iran — “We’re going to denuke it.”
Three ships were attacked in Hormuz, apparently by Iran, which has said repeatedly it won’t allow vessels to transit the crucial energy waterway without its permission.
Slamming the attack, the US President said Iran had fired missiles at ships instead of focusing on funeral ceremonies for its slain leader and said the US response was “20 times tougher.”
Trump also criticised , saying he was unhappy that the alliance had not done more to confront what he called “the number one state-sponsored terror,” referring to Iran.
The end of attacks on commercial shipping and the US waiver were central elements of a memorandum of understanding that halted fighting between the US and Iran and set up a 60-day period for negotiations on a broader peace deal.
The US blamed Iran for the attacks on shipping, while Tehran said the military strikes and waiver revocation violated the agreement between the two countries.
US-Iran peace talks
Negotiators would continue to work toward a final deal between Washington and Tehran, but even before the most recent escalation, the prospect for a broader agreement remained uncertain, Bloomberg quoted a US official as saying.
There are a number of sticking points to resolve, including future tolls on traffic through Hormuz, unfreezing Iranian assets and the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions, the official said.
Talks between the US and Iran resumed last week after the two countries traded strikes. But the negotiations were suspended again as Iran conducted a weeklong mass funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on the first day of the conflict in late February.
Qatar has said the next meeting will be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions. on July 9.
Oil prices jump 5%
World soared more than five per cent on Wednesday, soon after Trump’s comment, following fresh strikes in the Middle East.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude jumped 5.3 per cent to $78.09 a barrel, while the main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, advanced 5.4 per cent to $74.23 a barrel.
(With agency inputs)
