WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Saturday after the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei featured open calls for his assassination, further inflaming tensions across the Middle East as an interim cease‑fire unravels.
Trump made the remarks on Truth Social after senior US officials demanded that Iran publicly confirm the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic and will no longer be targeted. Tehran has not complied, maintaining that the strait remains under Iranian control and that vessels must pay fees to Tehran—a break from its long‑standing status as an international waterway.
In a series of blunt posts, Trump escalated the threat. “1,000 missiles are locked and loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to follow should the Iranian Government act on its threat,” he wrote. He cited threats “to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate” him, and asserted that the United States would “completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran — PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!”
US officials, speaking on the record, said Trump has given negotiators a tight deadline to reach a settlement with Iran, emphasizing that a range of military options remains on the table if talks collapse. They also reported that Iran insists its theocracy remains unified under its new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, despite the recent power vacuum.
Diplomatic activity continues amid the heightened friction. Iran’s UN envoy declared that any operation in the Strait of Hormuz, including demining, is “exclusively with Iran.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi plans to discuss the strait with his Omani counterpart in Oman, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested a breakthrough could be reached this weekend between Iran and Oman.
Iran has accused Washington of violating the interim agreement by ending waivers that allowed Tehran to sell crude oil in US dollars, prompting Araghchi to post a “reality check” on X that mutual compliance is essential. The United States, for its part, urges mariners to avoid Iranian waters and to route ships through Oman’s territorial waters, a policy that has angered Tehran and spurred additional attacks in the strait.
After a series of US airstrikes this week, reports indicate further attacks on Iranian targets, raising questions about the involvement of Gulf Arab states, as Israel has not claimed responsibility. In retaliation, Iran struck Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar on Thursday.
Nuclear talks remain deadlocked. US officials have told reporters that any future nuclear deal would require Iran to surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, a demand Tehran has repeatedly rejected. They added that the United States retains military options to ensure Iran’s nuclear material stays buried underground forever, though they offered no further details.
Despite Iran’s long‑standing claim that its nuclear program is peaceful, the International Atomic Energy Agency has noted that Iran is the only nation enriching uranium to weapons‑grade levels without an observable weapons program. US negotiators have made clear that progress on a nuclear accord will hinge on Iran halting its attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.