xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoUS President Donald Trump speaks on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye on July 8, 2026 [Saul Loeb/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff and AFPPublished On 8 Jul 20268 Jul 2026United States President Donald Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is “over”, describing Iranian leaders as “sick people” after Iran and the US exchanged 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.”
Trump also said he would speak to his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been leading US negotiations with the Iranians, but insisted it was up to Tehran to return to the table.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars.”
Trump’s comments came after Iran said it hit 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for US attacks on its Hormozgan province and the port city of Mahshahr.
The US said it launched “the 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 latest flare-up risks derailing last month’s agreement between the US and Iran to extend their ceasefire and enter into talks on 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.