Germany's Wadephul believes in US-Iran ceasefire as strikes resume

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul does not believe diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict between the United States and Iran have failed, even as attacks resumed overnight. 

The Iranian leadership still has not understood that it must renounce "the possession of nuclear weapons," Wadephul told German broadcaster NDR on Wednesday. 

Tehran has the chance to end the war through a clear commitment to this and sensible negotiations, he argued.

"I believe there is still a chance that these negotiations will actually take place," he added, emphasizing that the Strait of Hormuz must be "free" and "accessible to international shipping."

The comments came before US President Donald Trump said at the NATO summit in Ankara that the memorandum of understanding reached between Tehran and Washington was "over."

The US said it bombed more than 80 targets in Iran overnight in response to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. 

According to media reports, the Iranian military has announced a response to the attacks, with a wave of missile strikes on Bahrain. The Kuwaiti military also reported its air defences intercepted missiles and drones. 

Bahrain and Kuwait, like several other Gulf states, have previously been targeted by Iran. They all host US military bases just a few hundred kilometres from Iran.