The Japan Times - Iran hits back at Trump after insists truce over

The comments mark a new low in relations between the foes, after an exchange of fire this week rocked a shaky agreement aimed at turning the months-long ceasefire into durable peace and threatened a return to full-scale regional war.

Trump ramped up 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 further negotiations with Iran, even as he repeated his assertion that the ceasefire was over, just weeks after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding pushing for 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 exchanged strikes.

"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!" Trump posted on his Truth Social 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 hit back on Saturday, insisting that Tehran "has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called US Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU".

That 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 any new sanctions, and will not deploy additional forces in the region", pending a final deal.

"That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States. Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance," Araghchi added.

US and Iranian delegations have held one round of direct talks in Switzerland since the signature of their memorandum of understanding, as well as indirect negotiations in Qatar, but there has been no sign of diplomatic progress since.

- Hormuz deadline -

The hostile words came as Axios and Politico 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 the world's oil, is a major source of contention between the United States and Iran.

Tehran effectively closed the strategic waterway in response to the war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on the city in late February.

The Islamic republic insists it must control Hormuz, which comprises Iranian and Omani territorial waters, and has expressed a desire to charge fees for ships that transit it.

It did not have such powers before the war, and while the strait comprises Omani and Iranian territorial waters, under international law the two cannot generally block passage or charge tolls.

The United States launched extensive strikes on Iran this week following attacks on ships in the strait, triggering a wave of reprisals against American bases in the Gulf.

The US Treasury Department also revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil, cancelling a license announced in June that had allowed Tehran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products through August 21.

Araghchi will travel to Oman on Saturday for talks on the strait, the official IRNA news agency said.

Doha backed the continued diplomacy, with Iran's Tasnim agency reporting on Friday that a Qatari delegation was in Tehran to "try to reinforce Qatar's role as a mediator following events on Tuesday", when Doha condemned the Islamic republic's "unacceptable assault" on one of its LNG tankers.

Iran denied the accusation.

Pakistan 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 with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging him to safeguard the "hard-earned peace", the premier said on 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 him saying.

Iranians, he said, were "fully prepared to defend ourselves".

K.Abe--JT