US-Iran to Resume Talks, Trump Insists Ceasefire Is Over

United States President Donald Trump has revealed that the Iranian government has requested to re-engage in negotiations with the US. Trump stated that he has agreed for the two countries to return to talks. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to resume ‘talks’. We have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. Despite being open to restarting negotiations with Iran, Trump stressed he was unwilling to change his decision regarding the ceasefire. He stated emphatically that the ceasefire related to the current US-Iran conflict is now over. “However, the United States has told them very firmly that the Ceasefire is OVER!” Trump added. A diplomat told CNN that Qatari negotiators coordinating with the US have travelled to Iran to meet with officials there. Previously, a US official conveyed that the Trump administration’s strategy was to launch attacks, then temporarily halt military operations. This step was taken as an effort to prevent further escalation while providing space for diplomatic channels. Donald Trump had previously declared that the ceasefire with Iran was no longer in effect. He made this statement on Wednesday after Washington launched strikes against the Islamic Republic, which were subsequently retaliated against by Iran targeting US military bases in the Gulf region. “As far as I’m concerned, it is over,” Trump said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, when asked if the ceasefire with Iran had ended. “It’s just a waste of time dealing with them,” he remarked. Earlier, the US military announced that its forces had completed the latest operation targeting air defences, missile launch sites, command networks, and Iranian military vessels. The strikes were launched in retaliation for Tehran’s recent actions against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.