President Donald Trump said Friday the United States has agreed to keep talking with Iran but told Tehran “in no uncertain terms” that the cease-fire is over.
“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!” — President Donald Trump
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran requested the talks. The post did not lay out what the continued negotiations would cover or when they would take place.
Background
Trump earlier declared the cease-fire “over” to reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, seated beside Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum… They’re led by sick people… As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.” — President Donald Trump
Trump said negotiators could keep talking but held out little hope. “They have to come back to me.”
He linked the strikes to Iranian attacks on ships during the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening attack of the war on Feb. 28.
“We attacked, very powerfully last night, the very dangerous people from Iran,” Trump said. “We say, ‘Go and do your funeral stuff,’ and instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night.”
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday it launched a “series of powerful strikes” after Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The command said the strikes were meant “to impose heavy costs” for targeting commercial shipping crewed by civilians in an international waterway. It called Iran’s actions unwarranted, dangerous and a clear violation of the cease-fire.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces hit about 80 Iranian military targets July 7, including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats. According to the command, that first round was meant to impose heavy costs for what it called Iran’s violation of the cease-fire.
On Wednesday, CENTCOM said it hit about 90 Iranian military targets July 8, a second straight night of strikes the command said were meant to degrade Iran’s ability to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The command said its targets included air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirmed retaliatory strikes on military sites in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, where U.S. Army personnel are based.
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed June 17, formalized the process of ending the war and set a 60-day window to negotiate a final agreement on Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Talks had been due to resume after Khamenei’s burial concludes Thursday.
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