By Steve Holland and Enas Alashray
WASHINGTON/CAIRO, July 11 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week but he declared that the ceasefire reached between the two sides last month was over.
The United States also stepped up demands on Friday that Iran stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, where recent hostilities have pushed oil prices higher, a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of November congressional elections.
Trump’s comments came on a day of relative calm at the end of a week of renewed conflict, when three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire, prompting the U.S. to hit Iranian sites, and Iran to respond with strikes on U.S. military sites in Gulf states.
U.S. READY TO ‘DESTROY ALL AREAS OF IRAN,’ TRUMP SAYS
No attacks were reported on Friday as regional mediators sought to salvage diplomatic efforts to permanently end a war that began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“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.
Iran disputed Trump’s interpretation, saying it had not requested talks with the U.S. but had agreed to host a Qatari mediator, state television reported. Qatari negotiators were meeting officials in Iran on Friday to de-escalate tensions and discuss the Strait of Hormuz, a person with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.
Trump also posted that he had ordered the U.S. military to be prepared to launch strikes against Iran if Tehran carried out or attempted an assassination of the president.
“1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!,” he posted.
“Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran – PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!”
The Wall Street Journal and other U.S. media reported this week that Israel had shared intelligence with Washington that Iran had recently devised a plan to assassinate Trump.
There was no immediate comment from Iran on Trump’s latest remarks.
At the funeral of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, a huge crowd of mourners packed a courtyard, some bearing banners reading, “We Will Kill Trump.” Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.
STRAIT OF HORMUZ A FOCUS OF DIPLOMACY
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Oman on Saturday to discuss arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.
The United States is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait – and that all lanes will be open with no tolls through the waterway that carried one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war, senior U.S. officials said on Friday.
During the war Tehran has largely taken control of the strait, forcing a stalemate in its confrontation with the world’s most powerful military.
At least 17 people were killed in U.S. strikes on six cities in Iran on Wednesday and Thursday, the head of the public relations and information center at Iran’s Health Ministry said. He said 115 people were wounded.
Even so, U.S. officials said conversations between the two countries had been productive in recent days.
Tehran said any breach of commitments by Washington would be met with “reciprocal action,” the foreign ministry spokesperson said, according to state media.
Last month’s interim deal was meant to pave the way to the end of a conflict now in its fifth month, which has killed thousands, throttled worldwide energy supplies and raised fears of a global economic downturn.
Renewed fighting in the Gulf has increased the pain for U.S. consumers. After weeks of steady declines, crude oil prices posted their biggest weekly rise in eight weeks.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Enas Alashray; Additional reporting by Menna Alaa El Din in Cairo, Ahmed Elimam and Eman Abouhassira in Dubai, Andrew Mills in Doha and Jonathan Saul in London; Writing by Daniel Trotta and Kim Coghill; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and William Mallard)
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