\n\t\t\t\t\t\tU.S. and Iranian leaders traded threats Saturday as the interim deal to end the war buckled under crossfire in the Middle East and efforts continued to keep talks going.Video above: President Trump says ceasefire with Iran is over, but questions loom about future of the conflictPresident Donald Trump overnight made threats on social media of further missile attacks against Iran after the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saw open calls for the U.S. leader\u2019s killing. Senior U.S. officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and ships will not be attacked.Later, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed that Iranians would continue to avenge his father’s death. Such revenge \u201cis the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out,” he said in remarks carried by state television. He still has not been seen publicly since the war began Feb. 28 with strikes that killed his father.Tehran has insisted that the strait remain under its control and that it be allowed to charge ships moving through it, a stance it took after the war began.The exchange of threats followed days of U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran, sparked by Iran’s attacks on three ships in the strait, and Iranian retaliatory fire targeting Arab nations in the region.Trump has declared the ceasefire over but said the U.S. would continue negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday traveled to Oman, located on the other side of the strait, for more talks, a day after Qatari mediators met with officials in Tehran.Trump says he responded to threats to kill himA thousand \u201cmissiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat,\u201d Trump wrote on his website.He said he was responding to threats \u201cto assassinate, or attempt to assassinate\u201d him. During Khamenei’s funeral, mourners held posters or banners calling for Trump to be killed along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran buried Khamenei, 86, this week.Trump added that the U.S. military would \u201ccompletely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran \u2014 PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!\u201dTrump has repeatedly invoked the name of God in Arabic, and threatened to destroy Iran\u2019s civilization. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group, has criticized Trump\u2019s \u201cderanged mocking of Islam.\u201dIran accuses Washington of violating the interim dealIran’s foreign minister accused the U.S. of violating the interim deal by ending waivers allowing Iran to sell crude oil on the open market in U.S. dollars. Washington ended them in response to the attacks on ships in the strait.\u201cReality check: There can only be mutual compliance,\u201d Araghchi wrote on X.He was scheduled to meet with his counterpart in Oman. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his country\u2019s state broadcaster, TRT, that he believed \u201ca solution can be reached\u201d this weekend between Iran and Oman.The U.S. urges mariners to travel through the strait on a southern route, through Oman\u2019s territorial waters. Iran has said the strait must be under its sole control and that vessels should begin paying fees to Tehran. The world for decades has considered it an international waterway.About a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through it before the war began. Iran\u2019s grip on the strait during the war led to a global energy crisis, though oil prices have sharply dropped since wartime highs of $120 a barrel.Tehran’s diplomat at the United Nations said Friday that any activity in the strait, including its opening or demining operations, \u201crests exclusively with Iran.\u201dUS officials accuse hard-liners of trying to sabotage the dealU.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity about the current situation with Iran, said the resumption of strikes this week came after what they described as a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners tried to sabotage the ceasefire.However, Iran has insisted its theocracy is unified under the new supreme leader.After the U.S. wrapped up its latest strikes Thursday, more attacks reportedly hit Iran, raising questions about who else may be targeting the Islamic Republic.Israel did not claim them, meaning the Gulf Arab states may have launched them, likely as a means to deter Iran from attacking them again. Iran on Thursday retaliated for U.S. strikes by targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.The strikes in Iran over two days killed at least 17 people and wounded 115 others, Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said.US says nuclear deal will require Iran to turn over enriched uraniumThe U.S. officials told journalists the U.S. would never reach a nuclear deal with Iran if it does not first stop its attacks on ships in the strait.They also said any deal on Iran\u2019s nuclear program would require Tehran to turn over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. That is something Iran has repeatedly refused.If the U.S. does not reach a deal with Iran to turn over the material, it has military options to ensure that it remains buried underground forever, the officials said. They did not detail them.The uranium, enriched to near weapons-grade levels, is believed to be at nuclear sites the U.S. bombed in 2025. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though the International Atomic Energy Agency has said the Islamic Republic is the world’s only country to enrich uranium so highly without a weapons program.___Price and Weissert reported from Washington. Sam Metz contributed reporting from Ramallah, West Bank.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tDUBAI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
U.S. and Iranian leaders traded threats Saturday as the interim deal to end the war buckled under crossfire in the Middle East and efforts continued to keep talks going.<\/p>\n
Video above: President Trump says ceasefire with Iran is over, but questions loom about future of the conflict<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump overnight made threats on social media of further missile attacks against Iran after the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saw open calls for the U.S. leader\u2019s killing. Senior U.S. officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and ships will not be attacked.<\/p>\n
Later, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed that Iranians would continue to avenge his father’s death. Such revenge \u201cis the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out,” he said in remarks carried by state television. He still has not been seen publicly since the war began Feb. 28 with strikes that killed his father.<\/p>\n
Tehran has insisted that the strait remain under its control and that it be allowed to charge ships moving through it, a stance it took after the war began.<\/p>\n
The exchange of threats followed days of U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran, sparked by Iran’s attacks on three ships in the strait, and Iranian retaliatory fire targeting Arab nations in the region.<\/p>\n
Trump has declared the ceasefire over but said the U.S. would continue negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday traveled to Oman, located on the other side of the strait, for more talks, a day after Qatari mediators met with officials in Tehran.<\/p>\n
Trump says he responded to threats to kill him<\/p>\n
A thousand \u201cmissiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat,\u201d Trump wrote on his website.<\/p>\n
He said he was responding to threats \u201cto assassinate, or attempt to assassinate\u201d him. During Khamenei’s funeral, mourners held posters or banners calling for Trump to be killed along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran buried Khamenei, 86, this week.<\/p>\n
Trump added that the U.S. military would \u201ccompletely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran \u2014 PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has repeatedly invoked the name of God in Arabic, and threatened to destroy Iran\u2019s civilization. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group, has criticized Trump\u2019s \u201cderanged mocking of Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran accuses Washington of violating the interim deal<\/p>\n
Iran’s foreign minister accused the U.S. of violating the interim deal by ending waivers allowing Iran to sell crude oil on the open market in U.S. dollars. Washington ended them in response to the attacks on ships in the strait.<\/p>\n
\u201cReality check: There can only be mutual compliance,\u201d Araghchi wrote on X.<\/p>\n
He was scheduled to meet with his counterpart in Oman. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his country\u2019s state broadcaster, TRT, that he believed \u201ca solution can be reached\u201d this weekend between Iran and Oman.<\/p>\n
The U.S. urges mariners to travel through the strait on a southern route, through Oman\u2019s territorial waters. Iran has said the strait must be under its sole control and that vessels should begin paying fees to Tehran. The world for decades has considered it an international waterway.<\/p>\n
About a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through it before the war began. Iran\u2019s grip on the strait during the war led to a global energy crisis, though oil prices have sharply dropped since wartime highs of $120 a barrel.<\/p>\n
Tehran’s diplomat at the United Nations said Friday that any activity in the strait, including its opening or demining operations, \u201crests exclusively with Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
US officials accuse hard-liners of trying to sabotage the deal<\/p>\n
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity about the current situation with Iran, said the resumption of strikes this week came after what they described as a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners tried to sabotage the ceasefire.<\/p>\n
However, Iran has insisted its theocracy is unified under the new supreme leader.<\/p>\n
After the U.S. wrapped up its latest strikes Thursday, more attacks reportedly hit Iran, raising questions about who else may be targeting the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n
Israel did not claim them, meaning the Gulf Arab states may have launched them, likely as a means to deter Iran from attacking them again. Iran on Thursday retaliated for U.S. strikes by targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.<\/p>\n
The strikes in Iran over two days killed at least 17 people and wounded 115 others, Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said.<\/p>\n
US says nuclear deal will require Iran to turn over enriched uranium<\/p>\n
The U.S. officials told journalists the U.S. would never reach a nuclear deal with Iran if it does not first stop its attacks on ships in the strait.<\/p>\n
They also said any deal on Iran\u2019s nuclear program would require Tehran to turn over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. That is something Iran has repeatedly refused.<\/p>\n
If the U.S. does not reach a deal with Iran to turn over the material, it has military options to ensure that it remains buried underground forever, the officials said. They did not detail them.<\/p>\n
The uranium, enriched to near weapons-grade levels, is believed to be at nuclear sites the U.S. bombed in 2025. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though the International Atomic Energy Agency has said the Islamic Republic is the world’s only country to enrich uranium so highly without a weapons program.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Price and Weissert reported from Washington. Sam Metz contributed reporting from Ramallah, West Bank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.S. and Iranian leaders traded threats Saturday as the interim deal to end the war buckled under crossfire…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[89,3065,2618,38,1960,34,59368,1620,4512,6779,59367,4738,1219,392,1526,44716,15667],"class_list":["post-201784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iran","tag-ayatollah-ali-khamenei","tag-ceasefire","tag-comment","tag-donald-trump","tag-funeral","tag-iran","tag-iranian-retaliatory-fire","tag-killing","tag-mideast","tag-mpnd","tag-open-call","tag-ship","tag-strait","tag-trump","tag-truth-social","tag-u-s-airstrike","tag-u-s-president-donald-trump"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116903313563623569","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}