Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over' after fresh clashes

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement with Iran is 'over', blasting the country's leadership after fresh exchanges of fire. Speaking ahead of a Nato summit in Turkey, Trump said US negotiators could continue talks 'if they want' but he saw it as 'a waste of time'.

The US and Iran renewed fighting Tuesday night into Wednesday, the worst exchange since they signed an interim deal in June. The fresh wave of strikes began after three oil tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (Centcom) said it launched 'powerful' strikes in response. On Wednesday, Iran said it targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation.

Trump also said the US revoked its temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales. Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of breaching their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), stating 'the era of bullying and extortion is over'.

Nato chief Mark Rutte described the American strikes as 'absolutely necessary', saying Iran was 'basically violating the ceasefire'. This is not the first time strikes occurred after the MoU was signed on 17 June. Previous US strikes took place on 26 and 27 June after attacks on cargo ships. By 29 June both sides had agreed to 'stand down'.

Both sides had continued negotiations on a permanent end to the war, but talks were paused during funeral ceremonies for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of US-Israel strikes on Iran. It is not clear when talks will resume after this latest round, as Trump responded to a question about further negotiations with: 'I don't care'.