Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.'
President Donald Trump has declared the ceasefire with Iran "over" in a dramatic escalation of tensions, branding the country's leadership as "scum" and "sick people" and insisting that further diplomatic engagement would be a "waste of time." The announcement, made on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, came after a dramatic 24 hours of military escalation that saw the United States launch strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets and Iran retaliate with attacks on American military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Speaking to reporters alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump was blunt when asked about the status of the fragile truce that had been signed just three weeks ago. "I think it's over," he declared. "I don't want to deal with them anymore, they're scum. 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".
He dismissed the prospect of further negotiations, stating: "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars". When pressed on whether his negotiating team could continue talks, he added: "They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time. Frankly, I don't want to waste my time with them".
The collapse of the ceasefire followed a rapid sequence of military actions. Late on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran, hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions. The targets included Iranian air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The strikes were a direct response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the strait, a vital chokepoint through which approximately a fifth of the world's oil passes. Washington also revoked a license that had allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets, a key concession granted under the interim deal.
Iran responded swiftly. On Wednesday morning, the IRGC announced that it had launched retaliatory strikes against American military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. Explosions were reported across the Gulf region as air raid sirens sounded. Iranian officials accused the United States of breaching the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 17 June 2026. Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared: "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold". Iran's foreign ministry stated that the US strikes and the reimposition of oil sanctions "have rendered important and fundamental parts of the Memorandum of Understanding on the End of the War ineffective".
The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who was seated beside Trump during the announcement, offered his full backing to the American president. "I think what you did last night was absolutely necessary," Rutte told Trump. Earlier, he had told reporters: "When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire… I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully reacts".
The fresh wave of violence represents the worst exchange of fire since the interim deal was signed in June, which had called for an end to the conflict and safe passage of vessels through the strait. It also marks a dramatic end to a brief period of relative calm that had seen oil prices drop as tankers began to move through the waterway again. Following Trump's announcement, oil prices spiked by around 6 per cent to $78 a barrel.
The ceasefire agreement, brokered last month after a three-and-a-half-month war, had been hailed as a major diplomatic achievement. It included a 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at extending the ceasefire and ending the conflict "on all fronts". Iran had agreed to use its "best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days". However, both sides had continued to clash over interpretations of the agreement, and the truce had been under increasing strain in recent days.
The collapse of the ceasefire raises the spectre of a full-scale regional war, with the potential to draw in other powers and disrupt global energy supplies. Trump's remarks at the NATO summit also included criticism of the alliance for failing to back Washington against Iran, and he renewed his demand for the United States to take control of Greenland.
As the situation continues to develop, the international community now faces the urgent task of de-escalating a crisis that has the potential to spiral out of control. For Trump, however, the message to Tehran was clear: the era of negotiation is over, and the consequences of further provocation will be severe. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over," he declared. "It's just a waste of time dealing with them".
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