US President Donald Trump said the US will "probably" launch another strike on Iran later tonight, while accusing Tehran's stance on its nuclear programme of derailing diplomatic efforts.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Trump said the US action is aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and is "not about regime change."
"We'll probably strike Iran again tonight," Trump said.
"It's not about regime change. It's about nuclear weapons," he added, blaming Iran's position on the nuclear issue for the breakdown in talks.
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Trump casted fresh doubt on the prospects of a lasting nuclear agreement with Iran, saying he was uncertain whether Tehran would honour any future deal.
"I'm not sure it will with Iran. If we make a deal with Iran, I'm not sure that will stick, because I found them to be very dishonorable people," Trump told reporters.
Trump also blamed Iran for the latest escalation in hostilities, alleging that Tehran resumed missile attacks after requesting a pause in fighting during the week-long funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whom Trump claimed was killed in US-Israeli strikes on the opening day of the conflict.
"They asked for a timeout, they wanted to go to the funeral of Khamenei, and I said give it to them, and they start shooting missiles," Trump said.
"I mean, it was a crazy thing. Now we did kill him, so I guess you have to look at it that way," he added.
Trump further claimed that Iran had sought assurances that it would not be targeted during the funeral.
"They also asked that we not kill them, and we said we're not going to kill you," he said.
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Reiterating Washington's objective, Trump said the US was pursuing the "de-nuclearisation of Iran" and accused Iranian negotiators of misleading US officials during closed-door talks.
"It's de-nuclearisation of Iran," Trump said, adding that the Iranian negotiating team had "lied" about what was discussed.
The US president also suggested Washington could pursue its objectives even if negotiations fail.
"I don't even know if we're going to have a deal, we may just do it without a deal, because you know what? It's easier," Trump said, without elaborating on what alternative course of action the US could take.
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