SRINAGAR: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was effectively over, describing any further negotiations as a “waste of time”, according to the BBC.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Trump said, “I think it’s over.”
“I don’t want to deal with them anymore, they’re scum,” he said, according to the BBC. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over. It’s just a waste of time dealing with them, they’re liars.”
Trump added that negotiators from both sides “can talk” but were “wasting their time”.
His remarks came after the US military launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran, targeting more than 80 sites. According to reports, the Trump administration also revoked a licence that had allowed Tehran to sell oil, in retaliation for attacks on three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded with strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait, further escalating tensions in the region and raising concerns over the security of fuel shipments through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy transit route.
According to reports, negotiations on a final agreement had been expected to begin following the burial of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reported killed on February 28.
The US military’s Central Command said the strikes were launched “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
It added that the operation targeted Iran’s air defence systems, radar installations and more than 60 small boats operated by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
