Iran says it has complied with ceasefire and accuses US of violating agreement

“So far, Iran has kept its word,” wrote Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the social network X. According to him, “there can only be respect when it is mutual.”

Clashes between Iranian and American forces resumed last Tuesday. Since then, the attacks carried out by both sides have been the most intense since June 17, when a protocol was signed that sought to definitively end the war that began on February 28, following an offensive by Israel and the United States against Iran.

On Friday, Trump again stated that the ceasefire was “over”, although he agreed to continue negotiations with Tehran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran asked us to continue the ‘discussions.’ We accepted, but the United States made it clear, unequivocally, that the ceasefire was ENDED!”, declared the American president.

The Iranian government, however, denied making any request. The country's Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that Tehran did not request the talks to continue.

This Saturday, Araghchi is expected to travel to Oman to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route that has become one of the main points of tension between Iran and the United States.

Tehran now allows only one navigation corridor along its coast and rejects a return to pre-war conditions, when passage through the strait was free. In normal times, around a fifth of global oil and gas trade passes through the region.

The United States attacked Iran two nights in a row, after holding the Iranian government responsible for offensives against three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, Iran launched attacks against neighboring countries in the Gulf. In Kuwait, at least one person was injured. Bahrain and Qatar were also hit. Qatar acts as one of the mediators in attempts to end the conflict.

According to the North American websites Axios and Politico, Washington had informed Tehran that the country would have until the end of this Saturday to publicly make a commitment not to attack vessels in the strait again.

The United States also reinstated economic sanctions against Iranian oil, which had been lifted under the June 17 agreement. Araghchi called the decision a “violation” of the ceasefire.

The escalation of tensions occurred during the funeral ceremonies for Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war. He was buried on Friday in the mausoleum of Imam Reza, considered the country's main Shiite shrine, in the city of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran.

Although Washington stated that the attacks targeted military installations, the Iranian government accused the United States of also targeting civilian structures. According to Tehran, the offensive would aim to make it difficult for the population to participate in Khamenei's funeral.

The situation became calmer between Thursday night and Friday morning. A Qatari delegation arrived in Iran on Friday to begin new talks, according to local media.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country is also participating in mediation efforts, said on X that he asked Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian to preserve a “hard-won” peace.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the main Iranian negotiator in talks with Washington, declared that the war “would never end with Iran’s surrender.”

The head of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, warned that the country will respond to “any attack” against its infrastructure, including offensives carried out by Israel.

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