Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has blamed Washington for the collapse of an interim agreement intended to end the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, while calling for both sides to return to the framework and complete it. His comments, broadcast on Saturday, came as Washington and Tehran exchanged warnings that military action could resume within days.
US President Donald Trump said Friday that he might launch another operation using “Epic Fury, ” the codename associated with the US-Israeli war that began on February 28. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that even limited strikes would draw a response several times greater. Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi separately said Iran would not allow US military vessels to enter the Persian Gulf under any circumstances.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Tehran would not wait for permission to defend itself. She said Iran sought peace but would respond to aggression with severe consequences, while insisting that the country remained willing to pursue dialogue. The statements left a diplomatic opening in place, but offered no indication that the interim arrangement had been restored.
The dispute centers in part on the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for global energy shipments. A June memorandum brokered with help from Pakistan and Qatar was intended to restore shipping through the strait, lift a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and begin broader negotiations, including over Iran’s nuclear program. The arrangement later broke down after the parties failed to resolve disagreements over the blockade, shipping access and uranium enrichment.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said Saturday that Tehran had recently conveyed a willingness to reopen the strait if Washington lifted the blockade. The United States has rejected Iran’s latest proposal, while indirect discussions have continued. Iran’s conditions also include sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets; Washington has demanded assurances that Tehran will not develop nuclear weapons and has opposed any agreement that creates a pathway to them.
The military warnings come after a sharp increase in maritime tensions. Shipping data indicated that vessels continued moving through a US-protected route near Oman, while reported attacks on commercial ships reached their highest monthly level of the war in October.
Political pressure is adding to the uncertainty. Israel is due to hold elections on Tuesday, and US midterm elections are scheduled for November 3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to advocate removing Iran’s government. Inside Iran, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss corruption and compensation for people affected by the war, while Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was reported to have met Khamenei earlier in the week.
The immediate picture is therefore defined by competing signals: Tehran is publicly offering to revive negotiations while threatening retaliation, and Trump is leaving open the possibility of renewed military action. No verified account reviewed for this story establishes that a new attack has begun or that the interim deal has been concluded.