Ceasefire over, but US and Iran agree to keep talking, says Trump
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, that the United States and Iran have agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, that the United States and Iran have agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week, even as he declared that the ceasefire reached between the two sides last month was over, according to Reuters. The US also stepped up demands on Friday for Iran to stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, where recent hostilities have pushed oil prices higher, an issue that carries political sensitivity for Trump ahead of the November congressional elections. Trump's remarks came at the end of a week marked by renewed conflict, during which three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire, prompting US strikes on Iranian sites and retaliatory Iranian strikes on US military positions in Gulf states.
No further attacks were reported on Friday, Reuters said, as regional mediators worked to salvage diplomatic efforts to end a war that began on 28 February with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!". Iran, however, disputed this, with state television reporting that Tehran had not requested talks but had agreed to host a Qatari mediator, the report said.
A person with knowledge of the situation told Reuters that Qatari negotiators were meeting Iranian officials on Friday to de-escalate tensions and discuss the Strait of Hormuz. Trump Warns of Military Response Over Alleged Assassination Plot Trump also said he had ordered the US military to prepare strikes against Iran should Tehran attempt to assassinate him. Reuters reported that at the funeral of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, mourners packed a courtyard, with some carrying banners threatening Trump's life. Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war, the report said.
According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is set to visit Oman to discuss safe passage arrangements for ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The US is demanding that Iran publicly commit to halting attacks in the strait and ensure open passage without tolls, senior US officials said, as cited by the report.
The BriefWire