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Ceasefire Declared Over
President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States and Iran had agreed to continue “talks,” but he also reiterated in a Truth Social post that the ceasefire was “OVER!”
The Washington Post reported Trump’s declaration that the Cease Fire is “OVER!” even as he said the two sides would keep “talks,” and CNN described a diplomatic scramble to revive US-Iran talks after Trump declared the ceasefire over.
NBC News said Trump’s comments came after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire this week, prompting the U.S. to hit Iranian sites and Iran to respond with strikes on U.S. military installations in neighboring Gulf states on Thursday.
CNN reported that senior US officials said Washington expects Tehran to soon issue a statement that the key waterway is open and commercial vessels won’t be attacked, and it said that without safe passage assured in the strait, nuclear talks can’t begin.
In the same reporting, CNN said Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told that Iran distrusts the US and warned his country is ready to mount an “all-out defense” if necessary.
Demands, Mediators, and Threats
The Independent reported that Trump warned the fragile ceasefire with Iran is “over,” and it quoted his Truth Social post: “The United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!”
The Independent also reported that US officials said the Trump administration is demanding Iran publicly state the vital oil waterway is open and vow to stop attacking ships attempting to pass through, and it quoted US deputy representative to the United Nations Tammy Bruce saying Washington cannot negotiate while it targets “civilian objects”.
CBS News said Iranian officials privately told Trump advisers that they made a mistake in shooting at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, with the attacks stemming from an “errant” sect of hardliners trying to undermine negotiations, and it quoted one official saying, “We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking,”.
Axios reported that Qatari negotiators traveled to Iran on Friday to meet with Iranian officials in an effort to de-escalate tensions and create the conditions for negotiations to resume, and it said mediators want to prevent the MOU from collapsing.
CNN added that at the NATO Summit in Turkey this week, Trump called Iranian leadership “scum” and “cuckoo,” while it said the United States expects Iran to issue a public statement that the Strait of Hormuz is open and commercial vessels attempting to transit won’t be attacked.
Strait of Hormuz and Next Steps
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that CENTCOM sent out a “fact check” on July 9 reiterating the US stance that “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” and it said “Since early May, U.S. forces have helped facilitate the successful transit of more than 800 commercial vessels and 380 million barrels of crude oil.”
CNN reported that the signing of the memorandum of understanding triggered a period of 60 days for Iran and the US to negotiate and reach a final agreement, but it said hostilities in the region threatened negotiations.
CBS News said the talks are to take place in Oman on Saturday, and it reported that Trump directed his team—led by Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—to continue negotiations.
The Independent reported that Iranian officials are expected to travel to Oman on Saturday for talks about the strait, and it said Qatari negotiators traveled to Iran to restart talks after disputes over navigation in the strait led to the collapse of diplomacy.
In the same CNN reporting, a senior US official said if Iran won’t allow tankers to freely traverse the Strait of Hormuz then the two sides will “never” move on to negotiations on nuclear weapons, and it said the US expectation is Iran adopts the position on the strait following a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart, Badr al-Busaidi, on Saturday.
