US President Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the conflict is effectively “over” after Washington launched fresh military strikes on Iran and revoked a licence allowing Iranian oil sales.
Speaking alongside Mark Rutte ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said he no longer wanted to engage with Iran, describing further negotiations as pointless.
“The memorandum is over as far as I’m concerned,” Trump said. “I don’t want to deal with them.”
He also accused Iranian leaders of backing away from previous understandings reached during negotiations, claiming Tehran had denied key elements of the agreement after talks concluded.
Trump said Iran remained free to continue discussions but argued the country was “wasting its time” by rejecting the framework that had been negotiated.
The interim ceasefire, brokered through Pakistani mediation, was intended to create a 60-day window for negotiations toward a permanent settlement between Washington and Tehran. However, indirect talks held in Qatar failed to produce a breakthrough, while renewed US military action has placed the agreement under severe strain.
In another significant escalation, Washington revoked a US Treasury licence that had temporarily allowed Iran to sell crude oil and petroleum products. The licence had been valid until August 21, but its cancellation now requires remaining transactions to be wound down by July 17.
The revocation followed attacks on three commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which US officials blamed on Iran. The United States subsequently launched a new round of strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure.
During the same appearance, Trump also announced he had instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to pursue trade action against Spain, calling Madrid a “terrible partner” within NATO.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded by saying recent US actions—including the revocation of the oil sales licence and the latest military strikes—had rendered parts of the interim ceasefire ineffective.
Tehran also warned neighbouring countries hosting US military facilities not to allow their territory to be used for further American military operations against Iran. The statement came hours after Iran claimed it had launched missile and drone strikes targeting US positions in Bahrain and Kuwait.
