ANKARA, July 8 - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran to pause the conflict was "over," and that he did not want to deal with Tehran. Speaking ahead of a NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara, he made clear he considered further engagement futile.
The interim ceasefire arrangement, which was negotiated under the mediation of Pakistan, was designed to create a 60-day period during which negotiators could seek a permanent settlement. According to the terms reported, that window was intended to permit discussions without immediate escalation.
Those hopes were undercut after indirect talks held in Qatar concluded last week with no apparent progress. In addition, the U.S. military launched a fresh series of strikes against Iran on Tuesday, underscoring the breakdown in the temporary pause envisioned by the memorandum.
Addressing reporters alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump used strong language to describe Iranian leaders and those around them, saying:
"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."
"As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them."
Separately, the U.S. took action on Iranian energy exports on Tuesday by revoking a license that had allowed sales of Iranian crude oil and related petrochemical and petroleum products. That general license was originally issued by the U.S. Treasury on June 22 to permit such sales through August 21 under the interim U.S.-Iran agreement.
When revoking the license on Tuesday, U.S. authorities gave Iran until July 17 to wind down any ongoing transactions covered by that authorization. The revocation followed an incident in the Strait of Hormuz in which three tankers were reportedly struck by projectiles, an event cited in conjunction with the decision to rescind the license.
The statements and actions described took place as leaders gathered in Ankara for a NATO summit, where discussions and diplomacy were ongoing. The sequence of stalled indirect talks, renewed military strikes, and the withdrawal of a Treasury-issued sales license mark a significant shift from the temporary framework that had been set to allow further negotiation.