‘Iran ceasefire over’: Trump calls Iranian leaders ‘liars, cheat and sick people’

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran was "over", signalling the collapse of the fragile ceasefire after a fresh wave of military escalation in the Gulf.

Speaking at the opening of the Nato summit in Turkey, Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

He also launched a sharp attack on Iran's leadership, calling them "liars", "cheats" and "sick people", while saying he no longer wanted to engage with Tehran.

"I think it's over," Trump said when asked about the future of the agreement with Iran. He claimed the Iranian leadership had failed to honour commitments made under the deal and accused them of acting in bad faith.

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Trump launches scathing attack on Iran

Trump said Iran had agreed to a deal under which it would not pursue nuclear weapons, but later denied having made such commitments.

"They're liars. We make a deal. Everyone's agreed. No nuclear weapon. We make a deal. They go outside, talk to the press, and they say we never even talked about it," Trump said.

He went on to describe Iranian leaders as "dirty players" and said, "There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo."

The US President also said continuing negotiations with Tehran was "a waste of time". Referring to the Iranian leadership, he said, "They are liars. The negotiators can keep talking, but I don't like these people."

Trump further alleged that Iran had killed "54,000 people protesting in Iran"..

In another strongly worded remark, Trump compared the Iranian leadership to a disease, saying, "We have to rid their cancer. And you know what you do? You've got to cut out cancer early. That's the way I feel."

Fresh strikes threaten ceasefire

Trump's remarks came after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched strikes on US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. Tehran said the attacks were carried out in response to recent American strikes on Iranian territory.

The latest escalation follows US military action against Iran after Washington accused Tehran of attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The renewed exchange of strikes has further deepened tensions between the two countries and cast serious doubt over any immediate prospects of reviving the ceasefire agreement.