Trump Ends Iran Ceasefire, Vows to Continue Talks Amid Gulf Hostilities

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has declared an end to the month-old ceasefire with Iran, citing a recent escalation of military hostilities in the Persian Gulf. Despite the announcement, Trump said that both sides had agreed to continue diplomatic talks, according to a post he made on his Truth Social platform.

Renewed Hostilities Rattle Region

The declaration follows a volatile week that saw attacks on three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Reuters, the incident prompted retaliatory U.S. strikes on Iranian sites, which were followed by Iranian attacks on U.S. military positions in neighboring Gulf states.

In a series of posts, Trump warned he had ordered the U.S. military to be prepared for further strikes, claiming missiles were "Locked and Loaded" in response to alleged Iranian threats against his life. Iran's Health Ministry stated that U.S. strikes on Wednesday and Thursday resulted in 17 deaths and 115 injuries.

Diplomatic Channels Remain Open

While Trump asserted that Iran had "asked us to continue 'talks'," Iran's state television disputed this characterization, reporting that it had agreed to host a Qatari mediator but had not directly requested talks with the U.S. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Qatari negotiators were in Iran on Friday working to de-escalate tensions.

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U.S. officials said Washington is demanding that Iran publicly commit to halting all attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is scheduled to visit Oman to discuss arrangements for safe passage through the critical waterway, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Market Reaction and Oil Price Surge

The renewed conflict has injected significant volatility into energy markets, stoking fears of a wider disruption to global supplies and a potential economic downturn. In response to the heightened risk, crude oil prices posted their biggest weekly increase in eight weeks.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital chokepoint for the global economy, responsible for transporting approximately one-fifth of the world's oil supplies before the conflict began. Any prolonged disruption to traffic through the strait could have severe consequences for energy prices and global inflation.