U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes After Ceasefire Breaks

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the ceasefire and interim agreement with Iran are now over after the latest exchange of attacks. He told reporters in Ankara that negotiators can continue talking but called further discussions a waste of time. Trump described Iranian leaders as "scum" and "evil people" and said the U.S. response was 20 to 120 times tougher than the Iranian attacks.

Iran launched attacks against American bases in the Gulf after the U.S. conducted new strikes on Iranian targets. The U.S. said Iran had hit three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command released video of the renewed U.S. strikes. Explosions were reported in the Iranian port city of Bushehr, while sirens sounded in Bahrain.

The clashes occurred while Iran held a massive dayslong funeral for its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Processions began in the Iraqi city of Najaf with thousands of mourners present. The funeral events had placed peace talks on hold. The body later moved to Karbala.

Trump made the comments while attending the second day of a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called the U.S. strikes "absolutely necessary." Iran's foreign ministry said U.S. and Israeli actions have rendered key elements of the agreement to end the war ineffective. The U.S. also revoked Iran's ability to sell oil on the global market.