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Hours after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the ceasefire deal with Iran was "over", the US President indicated that Washington could launch another round of strikes against the Islamic Republic, following strikes on Tuesday, saying it had already hit Tehran "very hard" and warning of further attacks.
Trump made the remarks ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, where he expressed frustration with Iranian leadership and described the country's actions as aggressive. "We hit them very hard last night, and very probably hit them hard again tonight," Trump said. "They've been the bully of the Middle East, and they're not the bully anymore," he added. The US President accused Iranian leaders of repeatedly reversing their positions during negotiations, labelling them as "cuckoo" while claiming that Tehran had shown willingness to reach an agreement before publicly changing its stance. "They'll agree on everything, and then they'll go and have a news conference and say we never even talked about it," Trump said. "They're cuckoo; there's something wrong with these people," he added. Trump said he remained dissatisfied with Iran's leadership and was considering further military action as early as Wednesday night. "Normally ... I wouldn't tell you, but you know what, there's not a thing they can do about it," he said. "So the answer is 'probably'," the US President added. His remark comes hours after he announced that the ceasefire agreement with Iran has effectively concluded for him, declaring that he no longer wishes to engage in diplomatic dealings with Tehran. Trump categorically stated that the peace process was over and he would not deal with Iran any longer. "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... They're led by sick people... I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate - they're good people... but they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them," he said. Earlier on Tuesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had carried out a fresh round of offensive strikes against Iran, targeting more than 80 sites in response to Tehran's latest attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to a statement by CENTCOM, the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar installations, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats operating in and around the strategic waterway. The attacks came as retaliatory strikes against Iran, which had recently attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz - the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity. "The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation," CENTCOM said in the statement. "CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed," the statement added. Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf strongly hit back at Washington, detailing numerous breaches of bilateral agreements by the United States following the strikes. In a post on X, the senior Iranian official enumerated several "major violations" of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Washington and Tehran to end the hostilities in West Asia, indicating a severe breakdown in diplomatic commitments between the two countries. According to Ghalibaf, these American actions include "violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait", "persistent threats of further strikes", "reinstating oil sanctions", "attacks on southern Iran", and "continued Zionist aggression" in Lebanon. Issuing a firm warning against Washington's hardline approach and asserting Tehran's refusal to back down under intense military and economic pressure, Ghalibaf concluded his statement on a defiant note. "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere," he wrote on X. "We don't fold." In retaliation for the US attacks, Tehran launched drone and missile strikes against US-linked military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Iran's state-affiliated Fars News Agency. Citing the Iranian Army Public Relations, Fars reported that Iranian army drones targeted the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain early Wednesday morning. The IRGC further stated that it had carried out a large-scale joint missile and drone operation targeting 85 key US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. According to Fars News Agency, the IRGC said, "IRGC Navy and Aerospace Forces, during a joint missile and drone operation, pounded 85 key US military facilities in Salman Port, the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait." In a separate statement carried by Fars News Agency, an IRGC spokesperson claimed that Iranian air defences had shot down an American MQ-9 drone over Bushehr Province. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the recent US military strikes on Iran, calling them "absolutely necessary" after Tehran allegedly attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Delivering his doorstep statement ahead of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Rutte said that the US strikes were in relation to Iran's violation of the ceasefire as part of the "I think it was absolutely necessary because when you have a ceasefire, Iran is basically violating the ceasefire. We've seen what happened yesterday with ships being attacked. I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," the NATO chief said. (ANI)
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