Trump declares US-Iran ceasefire 'over' after overnight military escalation

Donald Trump has declared that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is effectively over after both countries exchanged military strikes overnight, raising fresh uncertainty over diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

Speaking alongside Mark Rutte at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said he no longer believed the agreement that halted fighting remained in force.

"It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over," Trump said.

The US president sharply criticised Iran's leadership, describing them as "scum," "sick people," and "liars." He argued that negotiations had become pointless because, in his view, Tehran had repeatedly failed to honour its commitments.

"We make a deal. Everyone's agreed, no nuclear weapon. They go outside, talk to the press, they say 'we never even talked about it'. There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo. As far as I'm concerned, it's over."

Although Trump dismissed the prospects of further diplomacy, he said US negotiators could continue discussions if they wished.

"They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time. Frankly, I don't want to waste my time with them," he said.

Trump added that he would allow members of his negotiating team, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to continue engaging with Iranian officials, but insisted he saw little chance of meaningful progress.

Earlier, Trump also criticised NATO allies, saying they had not done enough to support the United States in responding to what he described as "the number one state sponsor of terror," referring to Iran.

The president defended the US position that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon and pointed to recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Iranian strikes targeting US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, as evidence of Tehran's continued aggression.

His remarks came less than a day after the United States launched strikes on dozens of targets inside Iran in response to attacks on commercial shipping, while Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US military sites in the Gulf, further escalating tensions between the two countries.