- Iran insists it must control the Strait of Hormuz.
- Araghchi will travel to Oman for talks: state media.
- PM Shehbaz urges Iran to safeguard ‘hard-won peace’.
Iran insisted Saturday that it had “kept its word” on a ceasefire with the United States, after President Donald Trump insisted the truce was over but that he had agreed to new negotiations with the Islamic republic.
The comments mark a new low in relations between the enemies, after an exchange of fire this week shook a shaky agreement aimed at turning a months-long ceasefire into a lasting peace and threatened a return to full-scale regional war.
Trump escalated the rhetoric between the warring sides on Saturday, threatening in a Truth Social post to “completely decimate” Iran if it attempted or succeeded in assassinating him.
It came a day after the president agreed to new negotiations with Iran, even as he repeated his claim that the ceasefire was over, just weeks after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding to boost peace.
While there have been no direct talks between Iran and the United States since last month, Iranian media reported that a delegation from mediator Qatar was in Tehran after the sides traded attacks.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks’. We have agreed to do so, but the United States has told them, in very clear terms, that the ceasefire is over.” Trump published Truth Social on his platform.
Earlier this week, at a NATO summit, Trump also declared the ceasefire over, saying of Tehran: “It’s just a waste of time dealing with them.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on Saturday, insisting that Tehran “has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called US Treasury Secretary, who is violating paragraph 9 of the MoU.”
This refers to part of the memorandum of understanding that Iran will “maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program” and the United States “will not impose new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces to the region,” pending a final agreement.
“That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States. Reality check: there can only be mutual compliance,” Araghchi added.
The US and Iranian delegations have held a round of direct talks in Switzerland since signing their memorandum of understanding, as well as indirect negotiations in Qatar, but there have been no signs of diplomatic progress since then.
Hormuz Deadline
The hostile words came like axios and political reported that Washington has given Tehran until Saturday to stop firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and acknowledge that the waterway is open.
The strait, a vital shipping route for global oil, is a major source of contention between the United States and Iran.
Tehran effectively closed the strategic waterway in response to the war sparked by US-Israeli attacks on the city in late February.
The Islamic republic insists it must control Hormuz, which encompasses Iranian and Omani territorial waters, and has expressed its desire to charge fees for ships transiting through it.
The United States launched broad strikes against Iran this week following attacks on ships in the strait, prompting a wave of retaliation against US bases in the Gulf.
The US Treasury Department also revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil, canceling a license announced in June that had allowed Tehran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products until August 21.
Araghchi will travel to Oman on Saturday for talks on the strait, the official said. IRNA the news agency said.
Doha supported the continuity of diplomacy, with the support of Iran Tasnim The agency reported on Friday that a Qatari delegation was in Tehran to “try to reinforce Qatar’s role as a mediator following the events of Tuesday,” when Doha condemned the Islamic Republic’s “unacceptable attack” on one of its LNG carriers.
Iran denied the accusation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has also been mediating the conflict, held a call with Qatar’s emir on Friday to discuss the recent escalation, Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Sharif also spoke to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging him to safeguard the “hard-won peace,” the prime minister said in X.
However, Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, struck a defiant tone.
“Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with Iran’s surrender,” the ISNA news agency reported.
The Iranians, he said, were “fully prepared to defend us.”
