Trump agrees to resume talks with Iran but declares ceasefire 'over' after Hormuz strikes
The US president accepted Iran's request to continue negotiations while insisting the truce in place since April is finished, following the heaviest cross-border bombardments since a 17 June memorandum of understanding.
Trump confirms talks, denies truce
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States had accepted an Iranian request to continue bilateral conversations, but stressed that the ceasefire was dead. "La República Islámica de Irán nos ha pedido que continuemos las conversaciones. Hemos accedido a hacerlo, pero Estados Unidos les ha dejado claro, sin lugar a dudas, que el alto el fuego ha terminado," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The statement formalised what the president had suggested the day before, that his administration was aware of Iranian overtures to "reach an agreement", while drawing a sharp line between diplomacy and the truce that has governed the conflict since April. Trump added that the US military could "win very quickly" in a large-scale offensive and insisted it had already "won militarily," claiming the Iranian regime had "very little" left.
Tehran denies asking for talks
Iran immediately contradicted Trump's account. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told state television that the Islamic Republic had not requested negotiations, according to the IRNA news agency. "No hemos solicitado negociaciones a Estados Unidos," Baqaei said.
He characterised the US pattern as one of constant violations of the terms agreed by both sides. "La parte estadounidense ha violado diferentes partes con distintos pretextos," Baqaei stated. Iran maintained its stance of "compromiso por compromiso", commitment for commitment, and warned that it had taken and would continue to take necessary measures in response. The exchange left the two governments publicly at odds over who restarted the dialogue and on what terms.
The week that broke the truce
The rupture followed the most intense combat since the 17 June memorandum that was supposed to cement the April ceasefire. US forces bombed Iran on two consecutive nights after accusing Tehran of attacks against three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint critical to global hydrocarbon supply that has become a centrepiece of the confrontation.
Iranian forces retaliated by striking targets in several Gulf states: one person was wounded in Kuwait, while Bahrain and Qatar were also hit. Qatar condemned what it called an "unacceptable aggression" against one of its ships. Iran denied the accusation. The escalation coincided with the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who died on 28 February, the day the Israeli-American bombing campaign that triggered the war began.
- Former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dies; Israeli-American bombing campaign triggers war.
- Ceasefire enters into force.
- US and Iran sign a memorandum of understanding ratifying the April ceasefire.
- US bombs Iran two nights in a row after Tehran is accused of attacking three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Trump announces talks resume but ceasefire is over; Qatari delegation arrives in Tehran.
Qatari and Pakistani mediation efforts
A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday for meetings, Iranian agency Tasnim reported, citing an effort to reinforce Doha's role as mediator after the events of Tuesday. The meeting took place in Mashhad, according to Baqaei, where Iran communicated its views to the Qatari side.
Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who has also been mediating, held a call on Friday with the Emir of Qatar to discuss the recent escalation. The parallel diplomatic tracks underscored efforts to contain the fallout from the week's exchanges before they spread further across Gulf states already caught in the crossfire.
Trump's assassination warning to Pentagon
In an interview with The New York Post published Friday, Trump said he had given instructions to the Pentagon to bomb Iran at "levels never before seen" should he be assassinated as the result of an Iranian plot. "Llevo mucho tiempo en su lista. Es a lo que nos enfrentamos," the president said. "He dejado instrucciones: si pasa algo, que los bombardeen literalmente a niveles que nunca antes hayan visto."
The remarks added a new layer of tension to an already volatile week, binding the president's personal security directly to the military posture towards Tehran.
