US may put naval blockade back, 'hit Iran hard tonight', says Trump 

Ankara (Web Desk): US President Donald Trump has indicated that the United States is expected to carry out another round of military action against Iran on Wednesday night, following attacks reported a day earlier.

Addressing reporters at the NATO summit in Türkiye before holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said, "I'll give a little warning: We're going to hit them hard tonight."

Although he issued the warning, Trump did not confirm whether the United States intended to resume a full-scale military conflict with Iran. It also remained unclear if ongoing diplomatic efforts to transform the existing ceasefire into a permanent agreement would move forward.

Before meeting Zelensky, Trump remarked, "I don't know if we're going to have a deal. We may just do it without a deal," suggesting uncertainty over the future of negotiations.

Earlier, the US president stated that the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict with Iran was effectively no longer valid, adding that he had no interest in continuing discussions with Tehran.

The temporary ceasefire, facilitated by Pakistan, was designed to provide both sides with a 60-day period to negotiate a long-term settlement. However, indirect negotiations held in Qatar concluded last week without producing any significant breakthrough. Shortly afterward, the US military launched a fresh series of strikes targeting Iran on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump reiterated his position, saying, "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them."

Standing alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump also strongly criticised Iran's leadership, saying, "They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people," before adding, "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them."

Separately, the United States on Tuesday withdrew a licence that had temporarily permitted Iran to continue selling oil after three tankers came under projectile attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

Under the interim US-Iran arrangement, the US Treasury had issued a general licence on June 22 allowing the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and petrochemicals through August 21.

After revoking the authorisation on Tuesday, Washington gave Tehran until July 17 to complete and wind down any transactions already underway.

Later Speaking to reporters after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said he had previously played a role in helping resolve several international conflicts and was determined to work toward ending the war between Russia and Ukraine as well.

He said efforts to bring an end to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine are moving forward, adding that progress has already been made toward that goal.

The US president noted that discussions would continue regarding Ukraine's defence requirements, including the possible supply of Patriot missile systems.

He also stressed that the United States has strategic interests in Ukraine, pointing out that the country's valuable mineral resources are among them.

Trump also described the NATO summit held in Turkiye as productive and said his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was positive and cordial.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy, for his part, expressed hope that Trump would play a meaningful role in helping end the Russia-Ukraine war.

He added that the meeting included discussions on several major international issues.