Iran Says It Has Kept Its Promise to the U.S., Trump Claims Ceasefire Is Over, Demands Iran Guarantee Strait of Hormuz Passage and Halt Attacks

Iran stated on Saturday that it has consistently honored its commitments to the United States since signing the ceasefire memorandum. On Friday, Donald Trump again declared that the ceasefire agreement "has ended," while simultaneously expressing willingness to continue negotiations with Tehran—adding accusations that Tehran attempted to assassinate him.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas-Akbar Araqchi, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday: "Since the signing of the ceasefire understanding memorandum, Iran has remained committed." However, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the agreement had been terminated. He accused Washington of violating the ceasefire by reinstating economic sanctions against Iran. "This breach adds to other previous violations and missteps by the U.S. Let's face reality: respect can only be achieved on a mutual basis."

On Tuesday, three merchant vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, reigniting conflict between the U.S. and Iran. This marks the largest-scale exchange of attacks between the two sides since the June 17 memorandum was signed, aimed at ending the war triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Donald Trump reiterated on Friday that the ceasefire agreement “has been terminated,” yet affirmed his willingness to continue dialogue with Tehran.

The U.S. president said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is asking us to continue 'negotiations.' We agreed—but the United States has made clear to them that the ceasefire agreement is over!"

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson specifically clarified that Tehran "did not make any demands," while announcing that Araqchi would travel to Oman on Saturday to discuss issues related to the Strait of Hormuz—one of the key focal points of U.S.-Iran tensions.

Tehran permits only one shipping lane along its coastal waters and rules out any return to pre-conflict conditions, when passage through the strait was free and typically one-fifth of global oil and gas trade transited through it.

After accusing Tehran of attacking three ships within the strait, the U.S. launched strikes against Iran for two consecutive nights.

In retaliation, Iran targeted neighboring countries in the Gulf region: Kuwait (at least one injured), Bahrain, and Qatar—the latter being one of the mediators in the conflict.

According to an anonymous senior U.S. official quoted by Reuters on Friday, Washington demands that Iran’s leadership issue a public statement confirming that maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been fully restored.

These officials told media outlets that talks with Iranian top leaders are progressing. They hope Tehran will issue a declaration committing to halt future attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring negotiations can continue.

Nuclear Weapons Issue

On Friday, senior U.S. officials told reporters that any agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program would require Tehran to surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The officials also stated that if the U.S. fails to reach an agreement with Iran on relinquishing nuclear materials, military options remain available to ensure these materials stay buried underground—though they did not elaborate on what those options might be.

It is believed that following U.S. airstrikes on Iran last summer, some highly enriched materials potentially usable for nuclear weapons were buried. Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

U.S. officials stated that they will never enter into a nuclear agreement with Iran unless Tehran first complies with the terms of the ceasefire agreement—specifically, halting new attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

This ongoing struggle underscores the long-term challenges facing the Trump administration. In late February, Trump halted negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and launched military operations, citing Tehran’s alleged efforts to rebuild its nuclear program and develop long-range missiles.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1870431996466185/

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