Iran's foreign minister arrived in Oman to discuss arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported, as Washington demanded a public pledge for free and secure transit, Reuters reports.
US President Donald Trump said Washington and Tehran had agreed to continue talks despite the escalation of hostilities this week, while also declaring an end to the current ceasefire. No new attacks were reported on Friday or Saturday night.
Oman has been mediating efforts to end the conflict, which has rocked the Gulf and sent oil prices soaring since US and Israeli air strikes on Iran began on February 28.
Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to participate in the talks, according to CBS News and the BBC. "Reuters" was unable to confirm the information, and Fars news agency later reported, citing a source, that there would be no talks until the US changed its position.
Araghchi accused Washington of violating the ceasefire agreement after the US revoked a license to sell Iranian crude oil. "There can only be mutual respect", he wrote in X.
Earlier this week, three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers were attacked, leading to US strikes on Iranian targets and Tehran retaliating against US military bases in the Persian Gulf. While Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on the ships, analysts believe such actions are aimed at strengthening its position in the negotiations.
Trump wrote in Truth Social: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue "talks". We agreed to do so, but the United States has told them in no uncertain terms that the ceasefire is over!". Iran has denied seeking talks with the US, saying it has only accepted Qatari mediation. According to a Reuters source, Qatari officials have spoken with Iranian officials about de-escalation and the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president also warned that he had ordered the military to be ready to strike Iran in the event of an assassination attempt against him. "1,000 missiles are loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to follow immediately if the Iranian government acts on its threat, made in many parts of the world, to kill or attempt to kill the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case ME!", he wrote.
US media reported that Israel had provided Washington with intelligence information about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump. Iran did not comment on the publications. At the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war, some attendees carried signs reading "We will kill Trump".
Washington has demanded that Iran commit to ending attacks on ships and to unhindered passage through the Strait of Hormuz without tolls. During the conflict, Tehran largely established control over the strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil supplies passed before the war.
According to the Iranian Health Ministry, at least 17 people were killed and 115 were injured in US strikes on six Iranian cities. However, US officials described contacts between the two countries in recent days as productive. Tehran has warned that any violation of the commitments by the United States will be met with "reciprocal action".
Last month's interim agreement was intended to pave the way for an end to the conflict, which is now in its fifth month and has killed thousands, disrupted energy supplies and raised fears of a global economic downturn. The new tensions in the Persian Gulf have also led to the biggest weekly rise in oil prices in eight weeks.