Trump declares Iran ceasefire over after U.S. strikes on Iranian targets

President Trump declared the Iran ceasefire finished Wednesday after U.S. forces struck Iranian targets overnight. The strikes mark the most severe escalation since the mid-June memorandum of understanding and came after Iranian missile attacks on commercial ships.

"Is the ceasefire done? Is the MOU dead? It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore," Trump said at the NATO summit in Ankara.

U.S. Central Command said the strikes were meant to hold Iran accountable for aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews and to degrade Iran's ability to threaten navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump described the U.S. response as far heavier than the provocation. "And instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday. And so we hit them very hard last night. Very hard. I would say 20 to 1. 20 Times tougher," he said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck U.S. military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation, framing its actions as a justified response and warning that further escalation could widen the conflict. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte publicly backed the U.S. strikes, calling them "absolutely necessary."

Trump said the U.S. could target additional Iranian infrastructure, including Kharg Island and electricity and water plants. He said negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could keep talking if they choose, but added: "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars."

The declaration raises immediate questions about whether nuclear talks between the two countries will resume.