ANKARA: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he believed the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran was “over” after both countries exchanged military strikes across the Middle East, signaling the apparent collapse of the agreement.
Speaking at the opening of the NATO summit in Türkiye, Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think the Memorandum of Understanding is over,” Trump told reporters.
He described Iran as “evil, sick people” and said the United States was wasting time pursuing diplomacy with Tehran.
“We should do our business,” Trump said, indicating Washington was shifting away from negotiations.
Trump’s remarks came hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missile and drone strikes on US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for recent American attacks.
Iran’s military also claimed it targeted an air base in Bahrain that hosts US forces. The claims could not be independently verified, and US officials did not immediately comment.
The latest escalation followed a new round of US strikes on Iranian military targets and the reimposition of sanctions on Iranian oil exports. A US official said Washington ordered the measures as punishment for attacks on commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
The military exchanges fueled concerns over a wider regional conflict and pushed global oil prices higher.
At the NATO summit, alliance leaders also discussed increased defence spending, a key priority for Trump. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated that Greenland was “not for sale” after Trump again said the autonomous Arctic island should come under US control.
The renewed hostilities have raised doubts over any near-term diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran as tensions continue to escalate across the region.
