American president Donald tramp he stated at the summit NATO- and in Turkey to consider that the agreement reached with Iran is "finished", assessing that it no longer makes sense to continue diplomatic talks with Tehran.
"It's a waste of time to deal with them," Trump told reporters at the start of the NATO summit, giving the clearest indication yet that the agreement Washington reached with Iran has virtually collapsed.
His remarks came after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had carried out attacks on US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to earlier US strikes on Iran.
Photo: Filip Singer, Pool Photo via APDonald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Evil and sick Iranians
Trump called the Iranians "evil and sick people," accusing Tehran of violating a ceasefire agreement by attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
"They are dirty players," Trump said, adding that the United States did not want to waste any more time on negotiations.
The American president also said that he wants Washington to "do its job", instead of continuing to bother diplomatically with Iran.
"We have to remove their cancer. And you know what you do with cancer? You have to remove it early," Trump said, referring to Iran's state leadership.
The crisis between Washington and Tehran has further intensified after a series of military strikes and mutual accusations, while the NATO allies try to assess the consequences of a possible new escalation in the Middle East.
The US president's statement comes as NATO leaders meet to discuss security challenges, including the war in Ukraine and rising tensions with Iran.
Photo: AP Photo/Alex BrandonTurkish President Recep Erdogan with Trump
"Spain is a terrible partner"
Trump also made harsh criticisms of Spain during the NATO summit in Ankara, calling that country a "terrible partner" and confirming that he had ordered the introduction of drastic economic measures against official Madrid.
Trump told reporters at the summit that he had personally instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant to completely suspend trade with Spain, saying the United States "want nothing to do with them."
Disputes over the defense budget and military cooperation are cited as the main reasons for this move by Washington. The US administration is dissatisfied with Spain's defense allocations, which despite growth amount to around 2,1 percent of GDP, which the White House considers insufficient. In addition, official Madrid has previously refused to cede military bases on its territory to US forces for operations related to the conflict in Iran.
The harsh statement in Ankara was preceded by last week's statements of the US president, who, alluding to the Spanish-American war, said that Spain is "not good" and that it will "learn a lesson soon", noting that Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guam historically belong to the USA.
The Spanish Prime Minister, Socialist Pedro Sánchez, stated at the summit that Spain remains committed to fulfilling its obligations and strengthening military capacities within the Alliance. However, he stressed that his government will not do this to the detriment of social benefits and the stability of the domestic welfare state.
Diplomatic sources estimate that an open economic and political conflict between two NATO members could significantly undermine the internal cohesion and unity of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Source: CNN
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