Donald Trump has unleashed a furious outburst against Iran, warning they are “finished” as US-Iran peace talks once again collapse. He wrote on Truth Social: “We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!”
The US President’s latest outburst came as hopes of a lasting peace in the Middle East suffered a fresh setback. Planned talks between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland were called off, raising fresh questions over whether a long-term agreement can be secured. The negotiations had been expected to build on an initial framework deal, with both sides given 60 days to hammer out a final settlement. In his latest Truth Social post, Mr Trump doubled down on his defence of the agreement and his handling of the conflict. He wrote: “The War has diminished Iran! It doesn’t, any longer, have an Air Force, a Navy, Antiaircraft Equipment, Radar, or practically anything else, and yet the Dumocrats say that Iran is better off now than it was four months ago. Can you imagine getting away with that??? How stupid can some people be??? President DJT.”
Mr Trump’s latest intervention comes amid mounting pressure over the interim US-Iran agreement unveiled earlier this week.
The deal, which was designed to halt months of fighting and pave the way for a permanent peace settlement, has come under fire from both Tehran and some of the President’s own supporters.
Iran’s Supreme Leader claimed Washington had pursued the agreement out of “desperation”, prompting Mr Trump’s furious response on Truth Social.
The fragile diplomatic process was thrown into further doubt on Friday after planned talks between the US and Iran in Switzerland were abruptly postponed.
The setback came amid renewed violence in Lebanon, where a comprehensive ceasefire was supposed to take effect under the wider framework agreement.
However, Israel launched fresh strikes in the country’s south overnight, saying it had killed “dozens of Hezbollah terrorists” in response to attacks that left four Israeli soldiers dead. Lebanese officials, meanwhile, said women and children were among those killed.
Despite the escalation, a senior US official later said Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia had agreed to a fresh ceasefire, with the truce due to take effect on Friday afternoon.
Hezbollah sources said the ceasefire had been implemented immediately, while an Israeli military spokesperson said troops would continue to act against any threats while respecting agreements in place.
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