Trump warns Iran of military attack as talks continue through mediators
Trump threatened Iran over reported assassination threats while Tehran said it would not surrender and regional mediators worked to preserve talks.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with military action after calls for his death were heard at the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Al Jazeera reported. The exchange adds pressure to already fragile efforts by Qatar, Oman and Pakistan to keep US-Iran talks alive after new strikes and attacks in the region.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said 1,000 US missiles were “locked and loaded” and aimed at Iran if its government acted on threats to assassinate the sitting US president. He also said orders had been issued for the US military to be ready for one year, with a possible extension, to “decimate and destroy” areas of Iran.
Al Jazeera reported that Israel warned Washington earlier in the week about what it described as a new Iranian plan to assassinate Trump. CNN, citing sources, reported that Israeli intelligence described a specific and active plot, while The Wall Street Journal reported that the threat was fresh.
Iran has vowed revenge against Trump since 2020, when he ordered the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, Al Jazeera reported. The reported threat led the US Secret Service to ask Trump to change planes when leaving the NATO summit in Turkiye earlier in the week, according to Al Jazeera.
Ceasefire dispute and new attacks
Trump also said talks with Iran would continue, even as he declared that a provisional ceasefire had ended. According to Al Jazeera, Trump said Iran had asked to keep negotiations going and that the United States agreed, while telling Tehran that the ceasefire was over.
The ceasefire dispute followed Iranian attacks on Qatari and Saudi tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera. The United States then carried out air strikes on Iran for two nights, and Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on US-linked military sites in the region, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran’s lead negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran would not give in to Washington. He said Iran was prepared for “full-scale defence” if the United States broke a Pakistani-brokered memorandum of understanding.
Ghalibaf said ending the war was a priority for countries around the world, but added that the conflict would not end with Iran’s surrender. His comments came as Washington increased pressure on Tehran and US strikes hit five Iranian provinces, according to Al Jazeera.
Mediators try to keep negotiations alive
Diplomatic efforts continued despite the public threats. Al Jazeera reported that Qatari mediators travelled to Tehran, while Iran’s Tasnim news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Muscat, Oman, for talks on security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and expressed “deep concern” over the escalation, according to Al Jazeera. Sharif urged both Iran and the United States to show restraint.
Al Jazeera correspondent Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tehran, said there was intense diplomatic activity aimed at reviving stalled talks after the latest attempt at de-escalation. He said Iranian officials remained doubtful about US intentions after the recent American strikes and Trump’s statements.
Al Jazeera correspondent Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, said the United States was insisting that any agreement require Iran to accept nuclear limits and hand over its nuclear material. She said senior US officials described the discussions as productive, while also issuing an ultimatum after Iranian attacks on commercial vessels.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.