President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he may also no longer be interested in trying to reach a deal with Iran, hours after declaring the recent cease-fire agreement “over” in light of the renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I don’t know if I want to make a deal with them,” President Trump said at a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, where he was attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance summit.
“We can play games, but I don’t know if we want to make a deal,” Trump said, adding, “Let’s just get the job done.”
Just a month ago, the president was praising Iran’s rulers as “smart,” “very rational,” and “responsive,” but recently he has slammed Iran’s rulers, calling them “scum” and “sick,” and was asked why his behavior has so quickly deteriorated.
Trump replied, “I got to know them.”
He added that he still believes they are more reasonable than previous leaders the US killed early in the war, which began on February 28.
“But based on what they’ve done over the last week or two, they’re not doing that, they’re not serving the public. I think we’ve gotten to know them more than anything,” he said.
Earlier Wednesday, President Trump said the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is “over” following recent outbreaks of violence in the Middle East.
Iran attacked three commercial ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command and the Joint Maritime Intelligence Center, a U.S.-led naval group.
In response to these attacks, the United States rescinded sanctions exemptions for Iranian oil sales that were part of a temporary ceasefire agreement the two countries signed last month.
The United States subsequently announced it had launched dozens of retaliatory strikes against Iranian military infrastructure and small vessels.
The strait is a major transit point for the world’s oil trade and was a major flashpoint of tension during the war. Iran’s ability to blockade the waterway and its intention to begin imposing tolls on ships attempting to pass through it gives it immense leverage to resist a large U.S. military. In retaliation, President Trump ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports in the region.
As part of the deal, the United States agreed to lift the blockade and Iran agreed to use its “best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial shipping” in the Gulf region.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Bakaei told XPost on Wednesday afternoon that he accused the US of violating the same clause in the deal and “stressed” that Iran is responsible for “arranging the arrangements” for ships passing through the strait.
The United States “challenged this provision and in fact violated the structure of the agreement through unilateral actions and active attacks against Iran,” Bakkai wrote. “The Islamic Republic of Iran resolutely seeks to protect its national interests and exercise its sovereignty.”
President Trump said Wednesday of Iran: “I don’t want to have anything to do with them anymore.” He added that trying to deal with the Islamic Republic is a “waste of time.”
President Trump said of the ceasefire: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”
The United States later vowed to take further military action “tonight.” But he later sidestepped the threat, saying at a news conference that he “may” order such an attack.
