Iran rejects U.S. talks as Trump issues fresh threat to Tehran

A tenuous ceasefire towards peace was shaken when the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran and blocked its global oil sales on Tuesday. Photo by Elke Scholiers /Getty Images

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Iran rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s contention that peace talks could continue without a ceasefire, saying Washington must meet Tehran’s conditions for resolving transit issues through the Strait of Hormuz and normalizing its oil exports.

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While Trump said he wanted to continue talks, he also threatened late Friday to shower Iran with “1000 Missiles” if it acted on a threat to kill the U.S. leader, “in this case, ME!” In a social media post, he cited calls to kill him that were made at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after Israel reportedly informed Trump of an Iranian assassination plot.

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The Iranian authorities want the U.S. to implement “agreed-upon understandings” before any talks take place, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday, citing an informed source it didn’t identify.

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The comments came hours after the U.S. demanded that Iran publicly declare all channels of the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping and pledge not to attack civilian vessels transiting the waterway. Tehran will face consequences if it fails to deliver the public assurance, senior Trump administration officials told reporters on condition of anonymity.

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The developments followed several nights of U.S. airstrikes and Iranian retaliation that sent oil prices higher this week and raised doubts about further talks toward a broader peace deal. Trump earlier on Friday said he considers the ceasefire agreed with Tehran in mid-June to be over.

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The recent tensions, along with a US Treasury move to revoke a waiver allowing Iran to sell its oil globally, posed the biggest challenges yet to the truce. The U.S.. has blamed Iran for attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most vital energy conduit. Tehran responded to the latest wave of U.S. strikes by hitting back at American bases in the region.

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Despite the latest flare-up in tensions, the U.S. officials said they expect expert-level discussions with Iran to continue. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman on Saturday for talks on the future of Hormuz.

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Iran is holding a three-day memorial ceremony for Khamenei, following a days-long funeral that drew large crowds to cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq. Khamenei was killed in an attack as the US and Israel began their war on Iran at the end of February.

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His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, on Saturday called for revenge for the killing of his father.

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“It is our certain and undeniable duty that this revenge be carried out,” he said in a post on X.

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Mojtaba hasn’t been seen in public or appeared on video since his appointment, days after the Feb. 28 airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel that killed his father and marked the start of the war. His absence has sparked questions about how badly he was wounded in the same attack and the extent of his involvement in negotiations with the U.S. to end the conflict.

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Iranian officials acknowledged he was injured but say he has been actively taking decisions during the conflict.

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—With assistance from Catherine Lucey.

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