US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has cancelled a trip to Israel shortly after President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire with Iran “over”, according to reports.
Mr Hegseth was scheduled to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence secretary Israel Katz on Wednesday.
But a source told The Jerusalem Post that the visit has now been cancelled. Mr Hegseth is currently in Ankara for the Nato summit alongside the president.
In an extraordinary rant at the Nato summit in Ankara, Mr Trump called the Iranian government “scum” and “sick people” after Tehran retaliated against fresh strikes on Iran with attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain overnight.
Follow the latest updates here
Both sides had agreed to an interim peace deal last month, with one of the key points being that all parties would completely halt any further attacks while the technical aspects of the negotiations continued over the coming weeks.
Mr Trump has now declared that the agreement is over, but it remains unclear whether both sides will return to negotiations.
Speaking alongside Nato chief Mark Rutte, Mr Trump said: “I don’t want to deal with them anymore.”
Israel’s military actions in Lebanon and Gaza have been a sticking point during talks between the US and Iran. Israel has insisted it will continue its operations and says it is targeting Hezbollah.
Mr Hegseth has adopted a hawkish approach to Iran during the conflict, calling the Islamic Republic “barbaric savages” during a press conference earlier this year.
The Independent has contacted the White House and the US department of defence for comment.
Despite Trump expressing his profound dissatisfaction with Nato, secretary general of the alliance Mark Rutte defended US strikes on Iran.
Rutte defended the attacks on dozens of Iranian small boats, as Iranian media reported strikes on Kharg Island, Qeshm Island, and in the port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas.
“When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react,” Rutte told reporters.
US Central Command defended the strikes, saying that Iran’s “demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous and a clear violation of the ceasefire”, referring to the three tankers, including a Qatari vessel, that were hit in the strait.
Tehran has denied responsibility for the strikes on ships but Qatar blamed it for attacking the vessels, including its LNG tanker the Al Rekayyat, which reported being hit by a drone that caused a fire in its engine room. No casualties were reported following the incident.
The IRGC said it had targeted 85 facilities and a reaper drone in response to attacks.
