US President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that the United States and Iran have consented to continue discussions following a week of heightened conflict, while announcing that the ceasefire established between the parties last month has concluded, Reuters reported.
On Friday the US increased pressure on Iran to cease strikes against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, where recent clashes have driven oil prices upward, a matter of political concern for Trump ahead of the November congressional elections.
Trump’s comments followed a week of renewed fighting in which three commercial tankers from Qatar and Saudi Arabia were attacked, leading to US strikes on Iranian facilities and Iranian counterstrikes on American military sites in Gulf states. No additional incidents occurred on Friday, according to Reuters, as regional mediators sought to preserve diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict that began on 28 February with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that Iran had requested continued talks and the US had agreed, but made clear the ceasefire was over. Iranian state television denied requesting talks and said Tehran had agreed only to receive a Qatari mediator. Reuters cited a source indicating Qatari negotiators met Iranian officials on Friday to reduce tensions and address issues in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also said he had directed the US military to prepare strikes if Iran attempted to assassinate him. At the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, mourners carried banners threatening Trump, Reuters reported. Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the war’s first day.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi plans to visit Oman to discuss safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The US seeks a public Iranian commitment to stop attacks in the strait and guarantee open transit without tolls, senior officials told Reuters.
