- Iran insists it must control the Strait of Hormuz.
- Araghchi to travel to Oman for interviews: state media.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz urges Iran to safeguard ‘hard-won peace’.
Iran insisted on Saturday that it had “kept its word” on a ceasefire with the United States, after President Donald Trump insisted the truce was over but agreed to continue negotiations with the Islamic republic.
The comments mark a new low in relations between the foes, after a firefight this week shook a fragile deal aimed at turning the 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 article to “completely decimate” Iran if he attempted or succeeded in assassinating it.
This came a day after the president agreed to continue negotiations with Iran, while reiterating his assertion that the ceasefire was over, just weeks after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding for peace.
Although there have been no direct negotiations between Iran and the United States since last month, Iranian media reported that a delegation from the Qatari mediator was in Tehran after the two sides exchanged strikes.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran asked us to continue the ‘talks’. We agreed to do so, but the United States told them, unequivocally, that the ceasefire was over!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Earlier this week, at a NATO summit, Trump also declared an end to the ceasefire, saying of Tehran: “It’s just a waste of time to deal 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 memorandum of understanding.”
This refers to part of the memorandum of understanding that states Iran will “maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program” and the United States will “not impose new sanctions or deploy additional forces to the region,” pending a final agreement.
“This 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 series of direct negotiations 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.
Hormuz deadline
The hostile words came like Axios And Policy 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 conflict between the United States and Iran.
Tehran effectively closed the strategic waterway in response to the war sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes on the city in late February.
The Islamic Republic insists it must control Hormuz, which includes Iranian and Omani territorial waters, and has expressed a desire to impose fees on ships transiting there.
The United States launched broad strikes against Iran this week following attacks on ships in the strait, triggering a wave of retaliation against American bases in the Gulf.
The US Treasury Department also revoked a temporary waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil, canceling a license announced in June that allowed Tehran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products until August 21.
Araghchi to travel to Oman on Saturday for cross-strait negotiations, official says IRNA » said the news agency.
Doha supported the continuation of diplomacy, with the support of Iran Tasnim The agency reported on Friday that a Qatari delegation was in Tehran to “try to strengthen Qatar’s role as mediator following Tuesday’s events”, while Doha had condemned the Islamic Republic’s “unacceptable assault” against one of its LNG tankers.
Iran has denied the accusation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also played a mediating role in the conflict, had a phone call with Qatar’s emir on Friday to discuss the recent escalation, Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Sharif also spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging him to safeguard the “hard-won peace”, the prime minister said on X.
However, Iran’s chief negotiator in negotiations with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, struck a defiant tone.
“Ending the war is a priority for all countries in the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with the capitulation of Iran,” he said, according to the ISNA news agency.
The Iranians, he said, are “fully prepared to defend themselves.”
