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Teresa Elena Frontado

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington had agreed to resume discussions with Iran despite declaring an end to the fragile truce that had halted months of conflict between the two countries.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks’. We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The remarks underscored the increasingly contradictory state of relations between Washington and Tehran, with military exchanges resuming this week even as both sides appear willing to keep diplomatic channels open.
A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday in an effort to revive mediation efforts following renewed violence in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media reports.
Officials familiar with the discussions told Reuters that Doha was seeking to lower tensions and lay the groundwork for broader negotiations in coordination with Washington.


The latest escalation followed Iranian attacks on US military facilities in Gulf states on Thursday, which Tehran said were retaliation for American strikes on targets in Iran’s southern coastal region and eastern provinces.
The exchange marked the latest deterioration of an interim arrangement reached in April that halted weeks of open warfare between the two countries but failed to prevent periodic clashes.
Trump had signalled earlier this week that he no longer considered the ceasefire to be in effect, saying any future negotiations would depend on Tehran’s willingness to engage.
He also indicated he would consult Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, both of whom have played central roles in contacts with Iranian officials since the conflict began.
Concerns remain for energy markets, Strait of Hormuz security
The renewed fighting has rattled energy markets and renewed concerns over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass.
The Strait of Hormuz handled about 20 per cent of global oil supplies before fighting erupted in February, making it one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints.
Under the interim agreement reached in April, Washington lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports while Tehran committed to ensuring safe passage for commercial shipping through the waterway.
That arrangement came under renewed strain this week after Washington accused Iranian forces of attacking three tankers in the area and launched strikes against military targets in Iran in response. Tehran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, although analysts say such actions have historically given Iran leverage in negotiations over sanctions and regional security.
Iranian forces later targeted US military installations in Gulf states with drones and missiles, further eroding the truce that had halted months of open conflict.
The US said its military operations were intended to preserve freedom of navigation through the strait and rejected suggestions that Tehran could dictate access to the waterway.


Iran, meanwhile, warned that any reopening of normal shipping traffic would occur on its own terms and that further American intervention would provoke what it called a “crushing response”.
The governing council of the United Nations’ shipping agency on Friday criticised Iran’s attempts to assert sovereignty over the strait and objected to Tehran’s decision to establish a body to oversee maritime traffic through the passage.
Brent crude was on track to post weekly gains of about six per cent on Friday, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up around five per cent for the week as shipping traffic through the strait slowed sharply.
Oil prices eased somewhat after reports emerged that Qatari mediators were meeting Iranian officials in Tehran.
Shipping through Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels. Daily tanker transits had recovered to around 40 vessels before this week’s attacks, according to shipping data, compared with roughly 125 to 140 sailings a day before the conflict began.
The International Energy Agency warned on Friday that continued fighting between the United States and Iran could undermine expectations of a global oil surplus next year.
China urges all sides to return to negotiations
China, which relies heavily on Gulf energy supplies that transit the Strait of Hormuz, has repeatedly urged all sides to avoid further escalation and return to negotiations.
Beijing has backed mediation efforts and warned that disruptions to shipping through the waterway risk destabilising global energy markets and supply chains.
Trump has faced growing pressure over the conflict as higher energy prices have fed domestic political concerns ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Despite Trump’s insistence that the ceasefire is over, both Washington and Tehran appear unwilling to abandon diplomacy entirely while the fate of the Strait of Hormuz – and the energy supplies that pass through it – remains unresolved.


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US president’s remarks underscore the increasingly contradictory state of relations between Washington and Tehran


US president’s remarks underscore the increasingly contradictory state of relations between Washington and Tehran.


Trump claims Iran wants to resume talks with US despite ceasefire breaches

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US president’s remarks underscore the increasingly contradictory state of relations between Washington and Tehran

US president’s remarks underscore the increasingly contradictory state of relations between Washington and Tehran