Trump calls Iran leaders "sick people" as ceasefire collapses, strikes deepen

Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was "over" on Wednesday at the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, and called Iranian leaders "sick people" and "scum" as he warned the United States could strike again that night. Trump told reporters the United States had hit Iran "very hard" and said further negotiations were "a waste of time," even as he left open the possibility that talks could continue. He also said, "we're going to hit them hard again tonight" and added, "as far as I'm concerned, it's over."

The escalation followed attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, then U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and Iranian retaliation against U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted as many as 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, while U.S. officials said American strikes hit more than 80 Iranian targets, including air-defense systems, coastal surveillance, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and drone-launch sites.

The NATO meeting, held July 7-8 and bringing together all 32 alliance members, took place amid allied security concerns. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the U.S. strikes were necessary because Iran had violated the ceasefire. The ceasefire was an interim agreement signed in June 2026, and Trump had earlier portrayed it as an "unconditional surrender" deal.