'I'm losing faith in them,' US president says

Trump slams ‘dishonorable’ and ‘dishonest’ Iran, hints additional strikes possible

President also gives credit to Iran, calling it ‘tough’ and saying most would’ve given up by now; Iran claims to hit 2 tankers in Hormuz, launches drones at US facilities in Kuwait

US President Donald Trump on Friday slammed what he called Iran’s “dishonorable” conduct during negotiations and indicated Americans should be prepared for more fighting with the Islamic Republic.

Asked at a cabinet meeting at Camp David how he planned to revive last month’s memorandum of understanding with Iran, which was supposed to end the war after less than four months, Trump told reporters, “We just want to win,” offering little indication that he’s interested in a diplomatic settlement or that he has a strategy for bringing the war to a quick end.

“We’re trying to be as nice as you can be in a situation like that,” he said in the meeting at his Camp David retreat, before reiterating, “They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Asked if Americans should be prepared for the back-and-forth strikes between the US and Iran to continue, Trump responded, “A little bit.”

“It would be foolish to say no. You always have to keep your guard up,” he added.

Speaking to reporters before he arrived at Camp David, Trump had claimed the war “is going well.”

“All you can do is keep winning, then eventually something will happen,” he said.

The US last struck Iran early Thursday, a day after Iran targeted American troops in the region with ballistic missiles. Mediator Pakistan insisted later that day that negotiations were ongoing. But Iranian strikes continued on Friday.

Earlier in the week, Saudi Arabia joined the US in striking militant groups in Iraq, and Egypt came under fire for the first time with a drone attack at a Mediterranean port for which no one has claimed responsibility. On Thursday morning, Jordan reported again intercepting incoming Iranian missiles, while Kuwait said an Iranian strike that hit a building belonging to a Chinese company killed one person.

The return to direct hostilities followed a brief pause in fighting meant to give negotiations a boost.

Asked about the status of talks with Iran, Trump claimed Tehran always is interested in talking but constantly breaks its word.

As for whether he thinks it’s still possible to reach a deal with Iran, Trump responded, “I’m losing faith in them,” claiming they fired missiles at US troops in Jordan while the sides were in the middle of negotiations.

Asked how many more strikes it will take in order to restore maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump responded, “You never know.”

“Most people would have given up by now… They haven’t, so I give them credit for that. They’re tough,” he added.

Trump also claimed “Iran is doing very poorly,” rejecting reports suggesting that the regime is surviving.

“They’re having a hard time. They’ve been very dishonest. They’ve been very dishonorable to deal with, but that makes no difference. They’re doing very, very poorly,” Trump claimed.

Previous talks between the two parties following an April truce stalled, with the ceasefire collapsing about a month ago and Iran again obstructing Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for the global supply of oil and gas.

Iran blockaded the strait early in the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic on February 28.

A deal last month between the US and Iran partially reopened the strait, with future talks planned to resolve larger issues, including Iran’s nuclear program. But the agreement, which Israel was not a party to, collapsed in early July after Iran fired on vessels. Israel is also not participating in the current round of fighting.

IRGC says it struck two tankers trying to pass through Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Friday that it struck two tankers attempting to pass through the strait under the “air escort” of the US military.

The IRGC claimed the “non-compliant oil tankers… were struck and brought to a halt, while four other oil tankers quickly changed course and returned to their previous positions.”

Separately, Iran’s military said it launched drone strikes targeting US military facilities in Kuwait.

The Iranian army said in a statement it targeted “fighter aircraft shelters, satellite communications systems and equipment storage facilities at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait.”

There was no immediate comment from CENTCOM.

The Iranian army said the strikes came “in response to the recent aggression by the terrorist US military against our country and its brutal attack on a residential home on Qeshm Island.”

Kuwait’s army destroyed drones that entered its airspace on Friday morning, the armed forces said on X, adding that there was material damage due to falling debris but no casualties.

The country’s army said “Iranian aggression” had targeted a number of vital and military installations.

Additionally, Iranian state media said that the bodies of five members of the IRGC killed in joint US-Saudi strikes in Iraq this week had been returned.

“The bodies of five IRGC members killed in the recent US-Saudi attacks on Iraq were brought into the country through the Mehran border crossing,” in western Ilam province, the IRNA state news agency reported.

UK asks Cyprus to extradite man suspected of spying for Iran

Meanwhile, Britain has asked Cyprus to extradite a dual British-Azerbaijani national suspected of spying on a British air base on the Mediterranean island and passing his findings to the IRGC, London police said on Friday.

Rashad Sultanov, 44, from Islington in north London, is being held in custody by Cypriot authorities as extradition proceedings progress, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

The case marks Britain’s first overseas National Security Act investigation, led by counter-terrorism police into incidents at Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus between May 11 and June 22 last year, the statement said.

Police in Cyprus, where Britain has two military bases, said the suspect was first arrested in 2025 and had been in custody since then. An Israeli minister at the time said Cypriot authorities had thwarted an attack on Israeli citizens.

He was formally rearrested on July 17 following Britain’s extradition request, a Cypriot police spokesperson said.