President Donald Trump said during the NATO summit that the ceasefire agreement with Iran "is over." He branded the Iranian leadership as duplicitous and irrational, and ordered the U.S. Treasury Department to immediately cut trade relations with Spain, accusing it of being a poor NATO ally that refuses to assist the U.S. in the Iran war. Trump's announcement caused oil prices to surge by 6% instantly.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, officially declaring that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, signed on 17 June, "has ended" following intense air and missile exchanges between U.S. forces and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) overnight.
When asked by reporters about the status of the ceasefire agreement, Trump responded with harsh and fiery language, labeling the Iranian leadership as "trash" and "crazy people."
"For me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They are trash, sick people, ruled by mentally ill individuals. They are cruel and violent, and if they had nuclear weapons, they would certainly use them," Trump said. "We made an agreement; everyone agreed there would be no nuclear weapons, but once the deal was done, they walked away mocking us and telling the media we never even discussed it. These people have problems in their heads, they are liars, and negotiating with them is a complete waste of time."
However, Trump hinted he might allow his negotiation team, led by Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to continue talks if Iran sincerely returns to the negotiating table. Immediately after Trump's remarks were released, Brent crude oil prices jumped 6% to $78 per barrel, while European stock markets plunged 1.6% amid fears of renewed inflation.
In line with this situation, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a high-level warning ordering all commercial airlines to strictly avoid flying over Iranian and Iraqi airspace until 31 August 2026 GMT+7.
Not only regarding Iran, Trump also used the NATO platform to fiercely attack European member states for failing to provide military assistance to the U.S. during the Iran conflict. He ordered U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "immediately cut all trade and commercial relations with Spain."
"We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore. Spain is a very bad NATO ally. They refuse to join the fight and refuse to pay," Trump said discontentedly. The Spanish Prime Minister's office promptly responded, attempting to defuse tensions by describing Trump's threats as "a normal part of doing business" and reaffirming Spain's excellent economic and cultural ties with the U.S., with no intention to change them.
Besides Spain, Trump also criticized the United Kingdom for not allowing full use of military bases and described Italy as "very bad" in supporting base operations, although NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, sitting beside Trump, tried to clarify that Europe has fully supported the U.S., with 5,000 fighter jets taking off from European airports to support operations in Iran, emphasizing that Europe is the main U.S. power base.
Tensions at the summit also extended to the Arctic territory issue, where Trump admitted he remains dissatisfied with NATO and Denmark over "Greenland," a strategic island he previously tried to purchase during his first term in office.
"Greenland is a big problem for us. It's very important to the U.S. but means nothing to Denmark. We need it to protect the world, not just the U.S. It doesn't help Denmark at all but helps us. When we needed them, they were never there for us, even though we've always supported them. The U.S. bears a disproportionate NATO cost to protect Europe from Russia. We are treated unfairly," Trump said.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen firmly reaffirmed Copenhagen's previous position that "Greenland is not for sale." However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attempted to mediate, stating that the U.S. and Denmark will continue to uphold agreements to open negotiations for expanding U.S. military deployment on Greenland in the future.