Trump says interim accord with Iran to end war is 'over'
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with NATO Secretary General on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, July 8. AFP-Yonhap
U.S. President Donald Trump said an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was "over" on Wednesday after Tehran carried out new attacks on U.S. bases in the Gulf.
In a flare-up of hostilities that pushed oil prices up sharply, Iran said it had targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait after U.S. forces struck Iranian targets in response to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks further undermined a shaky ceasefire agreement and dented hopes of turning the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 into a permanent peace deal to end the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Asked before a NATO summit in Turkey whether the memorandum of understanding was over, Trump said: "It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them."
"They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people," he told reporters in Ankara. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them."
Although Trump has at times stepped back from threats he has made against Iran, oil prices surged and stocks fell after his latest comments.
The renewed hostilities have also heightened safety and security concerns around the Strait of Hormuz, with shipping data showing at least four oil and gas tankers had turned back rather than try to transit the waterway, a vital supply route.
Oil prices jumped and global bond markets tumbled. Brent crude futures leapt 5%, the most in a day since late May, to $78 a barrel.
While that was far below the peaks above $120 seen during the height of the fighting, it was enough to inject some fresh inflation risk into the bond market, particularly since months of conflict have drawn down global oil inventories.