US President Donald Trump is preparing for more strikes against Iran after declaring the ceasefire is over.
He said his military will “probably” launch more raids as he called the Tehran government “dishonourable”.
Speaking at the Nato summit in Turkey, the president said: “If we make a deal with Iran, I’m not sure that will stick because I found them to be very dishonourable.”
Asked if attacks would continue against the Tehran regime, Mr Trump said: “Normally I wouldn’t tell you, but you know what, there’s not a thing they can do about it.
“So, the answer is probably.”
Earlier, Mr Trump said it was “a waste of time” dealing with the Iranians and called them “sick people”.
His comments came after US forces launched a wave of strikes on Iranian targets in response to Iran’s targeting of tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said it had retaliated with strikes against Bahrain and Kuwait.
The attacks came just hours after Washington also pulled Tehran’s licence to sell oil, which was only issued last month following an interim ceasefire deal.
Mr Trump was asked about the state of the initial ceasefire deal between the two parties, known as the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, in Ankara on Wednesday morning.
He told the media: “I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them any more. They’re scum. You know what scum is? They’re scum.”
A declaration agreed at Ankara by Nato’s leaders said Iran must never have a nuclear weapon and it called on Tehran “to fully respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Brent crude oil jumped by around 6.5% to 79 US dollars a barrel on Wednesday morning after Mr Trump said the ceasefire was over.
Read More
Downing Street said it wanted to see peace negotiations continue.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman told reporters: “We’ve always been clear we support the deal and want to see the ceasefire hold and the talks to continue.
“Iran’s strikes on commercial shipping this week after promising to allow shipping to pass are unacceptable and it must recognise the importance of the commitment it made to get the global economy moving again.
“And we want to get back to focusing on the talks.”
In a statement on X early on Wednesday, the American military said: “US Central Command (Centcom) forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran, July 7, hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“US forces struck Iranian air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor.
“Iran recently attacked three commercial vessels transiting the strait, including Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.”
The statement said the “unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces” marked a “clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation”, adding: “Centcom forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed.”
Bahrain, which plays home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, where US Army personnel are based, sounded missile alerts early on Wednesday.
A statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirming strikes on military sites in their neighbouring countries said the “child-killing and terrorist US army” had “openly violated the ceasefire” with attacks on coastal bases and civilian stations.
Following the US strikes, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of committing “major” violations of the ceasefire deal.
In a post on X, he said the violations included “Persistent threats of further strikes”, “Reinstating oil sanctions” and “Attacks on southern Iran”.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” Mr Ghalibaf said.
Three civilian vessels were hit in the strait on Tuesday, the most in a single day since late April, according to UN International Maritime Organisation figures.
In response, maritime authorities have raised the threat level from “substantial” to “severe”.
The renewed hostilities threaten to again disrupt shipping transiting the Gulf channel and cause difficulties in securing a permanent end to the conflict, launched by the US and Israel on February 28.
Meanwhile, tensions have been running high in Iran with the holding of funeral ceremonies for the former supreme leader, former Iranian Supreme Leader, the late ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening attack of the war.
Mr Trump said Iran “deserved” to be hit having launched attacks on shipping despite requesting a “time out” during the funeral period.
The president said: “They really deserve it, because they’re saying they want to make a deal, but they don’t.
“You know, they asked for a time out, they wanted to go to the funeral of Khamenei, and I said ‘Give it to them’, and they start shooting missiles, I mean, it’s a crazy thing.”