U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had asked to continue talks and the U.S. had agreed, but that the ceasefire was over.
His comments came after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire this week, prompting the U.S. to hit Iranian sites, and Iran to respond with strikes on U.S. military installations in neighbouring Gulf states on Thursday.
Mojtaba Khamenei and Donald Trump. 'Ceasefire is over'
(Photo: Stringer/Reuters, Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
"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 ceasefire is over!," he wrote.
Qatari negotiators were meeting officials in Iran on Friday to seek to de-escalate tensions after Iran and the U.S. exchanged fire and to discuss navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.
Daily tanker traffic through the critical waterway appeared to have slowed on Friday, after the series of attacks stoked concerns about the recovery of global oil supplies and shipping, and highlighted the fragility of the interim truce.
Talks in Iran aim to address the implementation of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and the issues that triggered the recent escalation between Washington and Tehran, including disputes over navigation in the strait, the source said.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said a Qatari delegation visited Iran in what analyst said appears to be an effort by Doha to consolidate its role as a mediator. It follows Qatari accusations against Iran over an alleged incident in the strait.
Trump was also asked about reports that Israel had informed the U.S. this week of plans to assassinate him. He said that, as far as he knew, Iran had no new plan targeting him, but said Tehran had wanted him dead for years.
“They want to take out the US leader — me,” Trump said. “I’m on whatever list. I saw this morning I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long.”
Earlier this week, speaking to reporters at a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over and described Iran as a “cancer” during remarks alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Ankara. His comments came after exchanges of fire in the Persian Gulf, following an Iranian attack on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that triggered the latest escalation.