WASHINGTON/CAIRO — President Trump announced Friday that the ceasefire reached last month between the United States and Iran is no longer in effect, though he confirmed both sides have agreed to keep diplomatic talks going.
The week had seen a sharp escalation in hostilities, with three commercial tankers from Qatar and Saudi Arabia coming under attack. The U.S. responded with strikes on Iranian targets, and Iran retaliated with hits on American military installations in Gulf states. Friday brought a relative pause in the fighting as regional mediators scrambled to prevent further escalation.
“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 wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Iran pushed back on that characterization, with state television reporting that Tehran had not requested direct talks with the U.S. but had agreed to receive a Qatari mediator. A source familiar with the situation confirmed to Reuters that Qatari negotiators were in Iran on Friday, working to reduce tensions and address the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also issued a stark military warning, saying he had ordered U.S. forces to be ready to strike Iran if the country moved forward with any assassination plot targeting him.
“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.
He added: “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 American media outlets reported this week that Israel had passed along intelligence to Washington indicating Iran had recently developed a plan to assassinate Trump.
At the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday — who was killed in an airstrike on the opening day of the war — massive crowds gathered, with some attendees carrying banners that read, “We Will Kill Trump.”
The conflict began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and is now entering its fifth month. It has claimed thousands of lives, disrupted global energy markets, and raised alarm about a potential worldwide economic downturn.
A major focus of diplomatic efforts is the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war began. Iran has largely taken control of the strait during the conflict. The U.S. is demanding that Iran publicly commit to halting attacks on ships passing through the waterway and guarantee that all shipping lanes remain open with no tolls.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is set to travel to Oman to discuss arrangements for safe passage through the strait, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.
Iran’s Health Ministry reported that at least 17 people were killed and 115 wounded in U.S. strikes on six Iranian cities on Wednesday and Thursday. Despite the violence, senior U.S. officials said recent conversations between the two governments had been productive.
Iran’s foreign ministry warned that any failure by Washington to honor commitments would be met with “reciprocal action,” according to state media.
The renewed fighting has also hit American consumers at the pump. After weeks of falling prices, crude oil posted its largest weekly gain in eight weeks.
