Iran-US war latest: Supreme Leader says Trump made a deal out of ‘desperation’ after US lifts naval blockade

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said his country will deliver “a crushing response” if the US acts in “bad faith” during negotiations.

“We are at your command; the task assigned to us by the Supreme Leader is to pursue the realization of the conditions and clauses of the agreement.

“In the event of bad faith, breach of contract, and excessive demands by the opposing side, we have no hesitation in delivering a crushing response to the enemy.

“They were once slapped during the war; if they wish to tread that path again, they will receive an even harder slap”, he wrote on X Thursday.

The maritime security threat in the Strait of Hormuz has been reduced to “moderate” following the interim US-Iran peace deal, according to UK officials.

“The maritime security threat level in the SoH has been reduced to MODERATE following the announced intentions by both the United States and Iran for an opening of the waterway.

“However, Mariners should be advised of the existence of mines and expect naval presence as clearance operations continue”, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said in an update Thursday.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has said that the country’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority will look to issue fast authorizations for ships wanting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The move comes as per the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington, it said in a statement.

Measures on mine clearance will be carried out under the Islamabad MoU, though ships are advised to stick to the path and timing allocated by the authority, the statement published by state media added.

President Donald Trump did not take questions from reporters, including one about Iran, when leaving a Model of Honor ceremony at the White House Thursday.

President Donald Trump has said oil prices are “dropping like a rock” as he made an interim peace deal with Iran.

“The stock market just hit a new all-time high. The 401K’s just hit a new all-time high, and oil is dropping like a rock”, Trump said at a ceremony celebrating recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest award for US military valor in action.

The family of a British couple held in Iran are urging Donald Trump to push for a hostage exchange as part of a deal to end the war.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, from East Sussex, were sentenced to 10 years in Tehran’s Evin prison last year after Iran charged them with espionage during a motorcycle trip around the world. They deny the charges.

The couple have been on hunger strike for 39 and 30 days respectively, fearing “there is no other way to be heard” having effectively been stranded without legal representation, according to the family.

We’ve just heard from Donald Trump, who said on Thursday that the United States expects “a complete ceasefire on all fronts,” including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.

“We encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The post came one day after he signed a memorandum of understanding to end a nearly four-month conflict with Iran.

“We encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold,” he added.

“The Markets are loving what is happening with Oil Prices way down, and Stocks way up.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday he had authorised a memorandum of understanding signed by the Iranian and U.S. presidents.

The supreme leader said he himself held a different view, but received assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials that Iran’s rights and the interests of the “Resistance Front” would be safeguarded.

He accused Trump of making the deal out of “desperation”.

In a written message to the Iranian nation, Khamenei said Pezeshkian, in his capacity as head of the Supreme National Security Council, had accepted responsibility for ensuring the agreement protected Iran’s interests and pledged not to yield if Washington made what he described as excessive demands.

Khamenei added that future face-to-face negotiations with the United States would not mean accepting “the enemy’s position”.

We look at the main obstacles to a more long-term peace and what happens now the documents have been signed: