Iran insists it kept its word as Trump declares ceasefire over

Iran insisted on Saturday that it had "kept its word" on its ceasefire with the United States, pushing back after President Donald Trump declared the truce over while simultaneously agreeing to further negotiations with Tehran. The exchange marks the sharpest public rupture yet in a fragile peace process that both sides say they want to preserve.

Why did Trump declare the Iran ceasefire over while agreeing to talks?

Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran had asked to continue talks and that the US had agreed, but stated in the same message that the ceasefire was over. He said he had communicated to Iran "in no uncertain terms" that the truce had ended. The contradiction reflects a wider standoff over the Strait of Hormuz and disputed compliance with the memorandum of understanding both sides signed on June 17.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected Trump's characterisation, saying Tehran had kept its word under the MoU unlike, he claimed, the US Treasury Secretary, who he accused of violating Paragraph 9 of the agreement. That clause commits Iran to maintaining the current status of its nuclear programme while the United States agrees not to impose new sanctions or deploy additional forces in the region. Araghchi said: "There can only be mutual compliance."

What threats did Trump make against Iran?

Trump escalated the rhetoric significantly on Saturday with a Truth Social post warning he would "completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran" if Tehran attempted or succeeded in assassinating him. He said 1,000 missiles were locked and aimed at Iran, with thousands more ready to follow, and that orders had already been given to the US military for a one-year period, subject to extension. The post came amid reports that Iran had made threats against Trump's life in various parts of the world.

What is the Strait of Hormuz deadline and what does it mean?

Axios and Politico reported that Washington gave Tehran until Saturday to stop attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and publicly acknowledge the waterway was open. The strait is a critical global shipping route and a central point of contention between the two sides. Iran has effectively closed the strategic waterway since the start of the war triggered by US-Israeli strikes in late February, and has expressed a desire to charge transit fees, something it had no power to do before the conflict and which international law does not generally permit.

The US Treasury also revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil, cancelling a June licence that had allowed Tehran to produce, sell, and deliver crude oil and related products through August 21. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi was due to travel to Oman on Saturday for talks on the strait, according to IRNA. A Qatari delegation was also reported to be in Tehran to try to keep mediation efforts alive after Doha condemned Iran's attack on one of its LNG tankers earlier in the week.

What is the status of US-Iran negotiations?

The two sides have held one round of direct talks in Switzerland since signing the MoU, as well as indirect negotiations in Qatar, but diplomatic progress has stalled. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held calls with Qatar's emir and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, urging both sides to protect what he called the "hard-earned peace." Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf struck a defiant tone, saying the confrontation would "never end with Iran's surrender" and that Iranians were fully prepared to defend themselves.