US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran was “over,” indicating the collapse of the fragile ceasefire following a new wave of military escalation in the Gulf.
Speaking at the opening of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also launched a scathing attack on Iranian leadership, describing them as “liars”, “cheats” and “sick people,” and said that he no longer wished to engage with Tehran.
“I think it’s over,” Trump said when asked about the future of the agreement with Iran. He claimed that the Iranian leadership had failed to uphold the commitments made under the deal and accused them of acting in bad faith.
Donald Trump claimed that Iran had agreed to a deal under which it would refrain from pursuing nuclear weapons, but later denied making any such commitments.
“They’re liars. We make a deal. Everyone’s agreed. No nuclear weapon. We make a deal. They go outside, talk to the press, and they say we never even talked about it,” Trump said.
He described Iranian leaders as “dirty players”, adding “There’s something wrong with them. They’re cuckoo.”
Trump also stated that continuing negotiations with Tehran was “a waste of time”. Referring to the Iranian leadership, he said, “They are liars. The negotiators can keep talking, but I don’t like these people.”
Fresh escalation between US and Iran
Trump’s remarks came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had carried out strikes on US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. Tehran said that the attacks were in retaliation for recent American strikes on Iranian territory.
This latest escalation follows US military action against Iran, which was launched after Washington accused Tehran of attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The renewed exchange of strikes has further intensified tensions between the two countries and cast serious doubt on any immediate prospects of reviving the ceasefire agreement.
