President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran has ended, effectively putting the two nations back on a war footing.
Speaking to reporters at a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump made it clear that his patience with diplomatic efforts had run out, even as he acknowledged that U.S. representatives are still trying to keep discussions alive.
“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore,” Trump said. “They’re scum. You know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people.”
The breakdown comes after a period of tense regional maneuvering. Trump accused Iranian officials of violating the spirit of negotiations, specifically claiming they reversed their public stances immediately after private meetings concluded. According to the president, the primary objective of any agreement was to ensure Iran never developed a nuclear weapon, a goal he believes Iranian leaders cannot be trusted to uphold.
“We make a deal, and if I make a deal with them, we have a deal,” Trump said. “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 targeted the character of the Iranian leadership throughout his remarks, calling them “vicious, violent people” who would use a nuclear weapon if they managed to acquire one.
When asked by a reporter whether diplomatic talks would resume following recent funeral proceedings, Trump shrugged off the timeline, indicating that while his staff might continue meetings, his own outlook on the situation is firm.
“I don’t care. They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time. They’re a bunch of lying guys,” Trump said. He added, “There’s something wrong with them. They’re cuckoo. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”
The president referenced his past career in the private sector to contrast his business experiences with his current interactions with Tehran, stating that he has spent his entire life making successful deals but that Iranian officials come “from a different school.”
“They’re liars. They’re cheats. They’re sick people,” Trump stated.
In addition to the breakdown of international talks, Trump pointed to Iran’s domestic human rights record, claiming the government had violently suppressed local protests. He alleged that the Iranian regime has used lethal force against its own citizens to prevent an uprising.
“They’ve hurt their people. They killed 54,000 people, as of now, that were protesting,” Trump said. “You know, when people say, ‘How come they haven’t taken over?’ They can’t take over because they’re dead. They killed them. Nobody’s going to take over. They have no guns and the other side has machine guns, and they’re killing them.”
Despite his definitive stance on the ceasefire, Trump noted that he would not strictly forbid top U.S. officials from maintaining open lines of communication if they saw fit. He specifically named Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as part of the American diplomatic team.
“I’ll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate. They’re good people — Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner — but they have to come back to me,” Trump said. “Now, I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it.”
The announcement cast a shadow over the rest of the NATO summit, where Trump contrasted his view of Iran with his opinion of the other world leaders present at the meetings in Turkey.
“I don’t like these people, you know that?” Trump said, referring to the Iranian government. “I like him. I like the leaders. I like, I think, all of these leaders. And I think they didn’t treat the United States fairly for many years, but that’s OK. They’re sane, rational, good people — most of them. I don’t like a couple of them, to be honest, but there are a couple I don’t like much.”
Neither the Iranian government nor U.S. negotiators have issued an official follow-up statement regarding the status of future diplomatic tracks.
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